


Thunder Storm

by colorfulandfree



Category: Super Mario Bros. (Video Games), Super Paper Mario (Game)
Genre: Fluff and Angst, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-01
Updated: 2020-07-19
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:48:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 34,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24486133
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/colorfulandfree/pseuds/colorfulandfree
Summary: One second, he was Luigi. The next, he was Mr. L. As time goes on, he questions himself. Who is he? Why can't he remember anything? Why does he love a hero he should hate? Mr. L treads a dangerous path as he gets closer to the truth. Will he remember himself before it's too late? Lmentio. Rated Mature for language, a lemon, and mentions of abuse.
Relationships: Dimēn | Dimentio/Mr. L
Comments: 6
Kudos: 41





	1. Green Thunder

**Author's Note:**

> Posting this for my Discord friends since we do weekly readings of our fanfics and they prefer this site to the other one I use. Hope you guys like it!

Luigi was stuck at Castle Bleck with a girl he didn't know, two traitorous goombas, and more behind them. He was almost out; he knew it. He just need to get past these enemies and find the exit...

"Ok guys, new agenda? Hold this fool down so I can get his priorities on track," The girl told them.

"YES, MA'AM!" They cried. Then at least five enemies surrounded him and hoisted him up.

Luigi cried out. "Wh-Whoa! Hey! No! Mario, where are you!? HELP!"

The girl walked up to them and lowered her glasses. Electricity coursed through Luigi's body. He cried out. "That hurts! Stop!"

"Do you swear your loyalty to the count?"

"N-No! Stop, please! I'm begging-!"

"Oh great. Another fighter. No matter. Everyone gives in eventually," She muttered. The blue girl did it again.

Luigi cried out in pain. Images danced in his mind. Going on adventures with Mario. Eating cake with Peach at her castle. Fighting Bowser. His memories faded until all he could see was lightning and all he could hear was thunder exploding in his head. Green thunder...

The man in green froze. He was silent for a few seconds. And then, "Hail...Bleck."

The girl in front of him nodded. "Very good. Put him down." The creatures around him did as she asked. He stumbled a bit. "Now, what is your name?"

He spoke in a slurred voice. "L...Thunder..."

"Ha! Pipsqueak over here doesn't even know his own name!" One of the goombas cried. The others laughed.

The girl shushed them. "You'll walk it off. Welcome to the team, Mr. L. My name is Nastasia. If you have any questions, all you have to do is ask."

He had plenty of questions, but he was too tired to sort through his mind and ask any of them.

She scanned his outfit and frowned. "Hmm...You'll need a change of wardrobe. And a nap. Sound good?"

He nodded slowly. "Y-Yeah. Sounds good..."

Nastasia told the others to return to their devices and left the hall with Mr. L. "Do you have any memory from before you were here?" He shook his head. "Hmm."

The pair were quiet after that. Soon, Nastasia stopped at one door. "You can stay with Mimi until we find a room for you." Then, she opened the door and poked her head in. "Hey, Mimi? New recruit!"

A small green girl with pigtails was jumping on her bed. She hopped off and walked to them. She wore a huge smile. "Hey, there! I'm Mimi! What's your-?"

Mr. L walked past her and crashed on the bed. He soon fell into a deep sleep.

Mimi looked at Nastasia, confused. She shrugged. "What can I say? Brainwashing burns out the very strongest the most."

* * *

A month or so later, Mr. L was working in the garage on a giant machine. It was shaped like a man's head. His head, to be precise. He was almost finished with him. His pride and joy.

"How's it going, L?" A voice asked from below.

Mr. L glanced down. Nastasia was staring up at him. She wore her glasses, business shirt and shorts, and magenta hair in a neat bun. He smiled. "Hey, girlie. It's going fine. Brobot is coming along nicely!"

He jumped down from his ladder. His previous green shirt and blue overalls were gone. Now, he wore a black jumpsuit with golden buttons on his chest. He also wore a red belt, green bandanna around his neck, and most importantly, a dark mask over his eyes. Mr. L even made himself a new dark green cap with a reverse L on the front. The man in green was glad he took Nastasia's advice to change clothes. He looked and felt a lot better. "Need something, dear?"

Nastasia shook her head. "No, just checking up on you. You seem to be handling yourself alright though."

She turned and walked away. Mr. L was about to let her leave when he remembered something. "Wait, Nastasia!" The assistant turned around. He looked down. "I was, um, wondering if I could face the hero this time."

She raised an eyebrow. "I don't know if you're ready for that yet. You're still new."

"But everyone else has faced him! Why not me? I'll even bring Brobot! Please?"

Nastasia thought for a moment. "I'll ask the count. In the meantime, work on your fighting moves. Finish your robot. We'll see, 'kay?"

Mr. L smiled. "Okay! I won't let you down! Hail bleck!"

The woman left the room. He grinned even more and kept working with a special kind of zeal. "You think you're so tough, hero? Well, you're not. The Dark Prognosticus will ring true and you'll fall. The Green Thunder strikes like lightning!"

Mr. L meant those words. He believed them with all his heart. So, why did they feel wrong to say out loud or even think? And why did a tiny voice inside his head whisper, "Mario?"


	2. The Whoa Zone

_"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday, dear Mario and..." Static. "Happy birthday, to you!"_

_He stood across from a man in red. This man had clear blue eyes and a neat mustache. He wore a red shirt with long sleeves and blue overalls. He also wore a red cap with an M on the front._

_The man grinned at him._ _A vanilla cake was in between them with the numbers 2 and 6 on it. The number 2 was red while the number 4 was green. There was a circle of colorful candles around the numbers._ _They blew out the candles together._

_People cheered around them. It was mostly a bunch of toads; however, one person stood out from the rest. It was a pretty blonde girl with sapphire eyes. She wore a pink dress with a blue gem on her chest. She also wore long white gloves that reached her elbows. The girl clapped with the others._

_The man in red smiled at them. He must've been Mario. "Thanks, everybody! And extra thanks for throwing this party for us, Peach!"_

_The girl, Peach, smiled back. "No problem! You deserve a million parties for all you do for me!"_

_"What did you guys wish for?" A toad asked._

_Mario shook his head. "I can't tell you! Then it won't come true!"_

_The toads lowered their heads. "Aww..."_

_Then the man in green spoke up. "I have no problem sharing my wish."_

_Everyone turned to him. Even Peach was curious. "Well, then, what did you wish for...?" More static._

_He felt himself smile. "I wished that every birthday can be like this one!"_

_Mario frowned. "You fool! Now it won't come true because you told everybody!"_

_He laughed. "Sure it will! I'm gonna remember this wish for a long time."_

_Mario huffed. "Yeah, right. You'll forget it in a few days."_

_He felt himself frown. "I will not!"_

_Peach stepped in between them. "Okay, boys. Calm down. Let's cut the cake!"_

_All the toads cheered. Mario, having forgotten their little argument, wrapped his arm around the man in green. "Happy birthday..." Another round of static._

_"Happy birthday to you too, Mario. I love you."_

* * *

Mr. L opened his eyes. He found himself laying in his bedroom. The walls were painted forest green and had several mechanical posters taped onto them. To his right, there was a writing desk, a bookshelf, and window with green drapes right above the desk. There was also a full-body mirror in the corner. He blinked a few times. Then he sat up and rubbed his head. "That was a weird dream..."

Suddenly, he heard knocking at the door. "Who is it?"

"It's Nastasia. Can I come in? I have some good news for you."

Mr. L glanced down at himself. He preferred to go to bed shirtless and with boxers on. "Hold on." He went to his closet and slipped on a black tank top. Then he said, "Okay. Come in."

Nastasia opened the door. She poked her head in. "The Count mentioned you in our last meeting."

Mr. L had asked if he could go on his first real mission two weeks ago. Nastasia replied with, 'He'll think about it.' So, Mr. L waited. And waited. And waited some more. Now he was finally getting a real answer. "Oh really? What did he say about me?"

"He said it's time that we send you out," She replied. "You'll be leaving today. Bring your machine with you. Brobot, was it?"

Even though he was ready to fall back asleep a few seconds ago, Mr. L was now wide awake. He ran across the room and hugged Nastasia. "Thank you! Thank you so much!"

Nastasia pushed him away gently. "Don't thank me. Thank the Count. Get dressed. We're having eggs and bacon for breakfast."

The Green Thunder nodded eagerly. He wasn't sure why, but he loved both American and Italian food. "Okay."

Nastasia left and closed the door behind her. Mr. L ran to his closet and pulled out his jumpsuit. He put it on quickly along with his accessories. He was so excited that he almost forgot to put on his mask. For some reason, the count insisted that he wear it. He placed it over his eyes and then ran out of the room, more energetic than ever.

After breakfast, Count Bleck told Mr. L to meet him in the meeting room. This was where the minions of Count Bleck would meet and discuss plans on how to deal with the hero. As of now, the man in green hadn't been to a meeting. Yet. He stood on the platform right next to the Count, where Nastasia would normally stand.

"The Dark Prognosticus says that the Heroes of Light will be in space. From there, they will find themselves in a maze of death. Count Bleck had Nastasia do some research for him, and she believes that this is referring to the Whoa Zone."

Mr. L blinked a few times. "The Whoa Zone? A maze of death? With all due respect, Count, those sound like two wildly different things."

The Count shook his head. "Perhaps, but some refer to the Whoa Zone as the Space Graveyard. Rumors say that those who go in never come back out. Your mission is to go there and put a stop to the heroes. If you choose to accept, Count Bleck will send you on your way. If not, you'll be demoted and someone else will take this mission."

The Green Thunder shook his head. "No, I want this mission! No matter how dangerous it sounds! Don't worry. You can _count_ on me. Heh heh."

The Count sighed. "Just get ready, ordered Count Bleck."

Mr. L lowered his head, ashamed for his terrible pun. "Yes, sir."

That afternoon, Mr. L went into the garage. He grabbed the remote control laying on the table and turned Brobot on. His yellow eyes lit up. He smiled and ran over to him. "Come on, bro. We're going on a mission. A real mission!"

He walked to the back of the machine and jumped up. He opened the back door and went inside. Then he sat on his chair and gripped the levers. He looked straight ahead, out into the open garage.

He took a deep breath. "Let's go," He whispered. Then he pushed the levers forward. They blasted off and shot up into the sky. Further and further from the ground.

Count Bleck and Nastasia stood outside, looking up.

"Do you think that he'll be successful?" Nastasia asked.

The Count shook his head. "The Dark Prognosticus says we'll have to keep pushing. But he needs practice, just like everyone else. Let's get back inside."

She nodded. The two flipped back inside the castle.

Meanwhile, Mr. L noticed that the sky was changing color. Black became a pretty dark blue. Stars were twinkling in the middle of the day. When he looked down, his eyes widened. A giant blue ball was below them with patches of green. The Earth.

The Green Thunder sat back in his chair. After a few seconds, he whispered, "I did it." He grew more excited. "I ACTUALLY DID IT! WE'RE IN SPACE! WOOO! BROBOT, YOU ARE AWESOME!"

Sadly, the robot couldn't respond. After some celebrating, Mr. L remembered why he was here. "Okay, okay. Calm down, Mr. L. I'm not here for vacation. I'm here for the Count. Okay, the Whoa Zone. I can find that."

He looked around and noticed the vastness of space. He gulped. "I-I can do it. We just need to...um...ask for directions?" Even he knew how absurd that sounded. "BUT WHO THE HECK WOULD BE SITTING AROUND IN THE MIDDLE OF SPACE!?"

He took out a deep breath, then let out a frustrated sigh. What if the Count made up that part of the prophecy? What if he just wanted to get rid of him? This thought sat there for a moment, making Mr. L's heart sink. Then he shook his head. "No way! He wouldn't do that! I'm too amazing to get rid of! We just need to try searching."

Miraculously, Mr. L did find someone sitting around in the middle of space. It was a middle aged man who owned a shop called Twinkle Mart. "Have a twinkly day! Welcome to Twinkle Mart! If we're not closed, we're open!" Mr. L was about to say something when the shop owner cried out. "WAAAAH! I've been so lonely! Since grand opening, you've been my first customer!" He sniffled. "Maybe I should've thought about location before opening this place..."

"...Yeah. You think?" Mr. L asked, looking around. This was incredibly lucky for him, but not so much for the shop owner.

The shop owner lifted his helmet a little and put his hand in, wiping his tears. Then he put it back on. "Sorry. I just got a little emotional there. What can I do for you?"

He glanced at the basket of chocolate bars. Sweet Choco-bars. Shroom Choco-bars. Golden Choco-bars. He knew that he didn't need any candy right now, but he had been having some sweet cravings lately. The man in green reached into his pocket and pulled out his money. "I'll take five of your sweet choco-bars, please."

"Excellent! That'll be 50 coins." Mr. L handed the coins over and he got the chocolate bars in return. "Need anything else?"

"Just one more thing. Can you give me directions to the Whoa Zone?"

The man's face paled. "Th-Th-The W-Whoa Zone!?"

"Uh...Yeah. You know it?"

"The Space Graveyard!? The place that swallows anyone who goes in!?"

 _So, the Count hadn't been lying._ What a relief. Mr. L felt regret for even doubting his master. He nodded. "That's the place."

"W-Why would you need to go in there!?"

"None of your business," Mr. L snapped. "Just give me directions."

After asking if he was sure repeatedly, the shop owner finally gave in and told him how to get there. Mr. L thanked him. He was about to leave when a thought struck his mind. He turned back around. "Oh, and um..." He reached into his pocket and ended up pulling out 100 coins on the counter. "100 coins says that I was never here. If anyone else comes in, pretend that they're your first customer."

The shop owner thought about it, then nodded and took his money. "Have a twinkly day...and please be safe..."

"Sure thing." With that, Mr. L got back into Brobot. He sat back down, took off his helmet, and pushed the levers forward. "Alright, buddy. To the Whoa Zone!" And just like that, gone.

* * *

It took an hour or so to reach the Whoa Zone. Mr. L tore his way through one of the walls. The Green Thunder chuckled and allowed Brobot to reach the ground. He turned off his machine and stepped outside. Then he chewed his candy bar, which tasted of yogurt and chocolate. Mr. L looked around, but he couldn't see anyone. He waited for a good five minutes or so. Then he said, "Okay, where is he?"

Mr. L walked to the door on the left side of the room and tried to open it. It wouldn't budge. "What the-?"

He went to the other side. That door did open. The only thing inside was a golden statue...but no heroes. Not even another way out. He sighed and left the room. "Crud."

He turned to Brobot. "Looks like we're stuck in here until the hero shows up." He tried to look at this positively. "Well, at least I have time to think up my battle strategy."

After some thinking and eating the rest of his chocolate bar, Mr. L had a plan. He would try beating him on his own, but if that wouldn't work, he would use Brobot and blast him into space. Yes, it was perfect! (Of course it was. His plans were always perfect.)

He hid Brobot behind the torn wall. He covered up his obvious mistake by just peeling the wallpaper back on. Strangely enough, the wall didn't look that bad. "I guess the walls are... _pa_ _per-thin_ around here!"

Mr. L really had to stop making terrible puns.

Then he heard something squeezing through the door. He turned and saw something green pushing through. The Green Thunder jumped back in shock. Then he looked around for somewhere to hide. Mr. L glanced up and noticed a ledge high above the ground. He used his super-jump to land there. Then he watched the scene from above.

The green thing finished squeezing his way through. It turned out to be an alien of some sort. The alien was green and cube shaped. It had tentacles and a lone yellow star hanging from his forehead. Then the creature spoke with a high pitched voice. "Squeee! Now Squirps just has to wait for the heroes!"

His eyes widened. The heroes. They had to have been trailing behind this alien. Surely they would arrive shortly!

Well, no. It took an eternity for them to show up. Mr. L pulled up his right sleeve and looked at his watch, not for the first time. What time had he got here again? He started to wonder if those heroes would ever show up.

Then, suddenly, they did. Three different people wandered in along with a couple of Pixls. One of the Pixls was a rainbow butterfly. The other was a hand shaped Pixl. As for the three people...they were vastly different. One was a giant koopa with a spiked shell. The second was a blonde girl in a pink dress. And the third, who was leading them, was a small man in red.

"SLOWPOKES!" The alien cried. He waddled over to them. "SQUAAAAAKLES! Squirps was tired of waiting! Squirps almost gave up!"

 _"You and me both, kiddo,"_ Mr. L thought to himself.

"The Pure Heart that you're looking for is just ahead, space grunts!"

The Pure Heart. Yes, that was what the Count wanted! Mr. L decided that now would be as good a time as any to reveal himself. "Squirps, you've done well. You're a smart kid," He told the alien.

The heroes looked around, confused. Squirps didn't notice. "Squirple, squee! Stop it! Squirps is embarrassed!~" Then the alien frowned. "Wait. Whose voice was that, sqoh?" Just then, Mr. L swooped down and pounced on Squirps' head. The creature cried out in pain. "SQUIRP!"

The man in green chuckled to himself.

"W-Who are you!?" A feminine voice asked.

He turned to face his enemies. He correctly assumed the butterfly Pixl asked that question. "Oh, me? Just one of Count Bleck's more promising minions. The Green Thunder!" He spun around and did his trademark pose, slightly off balance. (Oh, how he had been looking forward to doing that!) "MR. L!"

"Mr...L?"

He grinned and walked closer to them, kicking the alien aside. "I don't need you to tell me it's a cool name. I know it. Don't bother memorizing it. Why? Because I'm about to give you a burial at sea! I mean...a burial at space."

His eyes wandered over to the man in red. This must have been the hero. But why did he look so familiar? Mr. L clenched his fists. "Just because you're in red doesn't mean you're strong. Have at you!"

Mr. L spent the next few minutes battling the heroes, though it didn't feel like a fight to him. It felt more like a dance, their moves as right and graceful as a romantic tango. He jumped into the air. The hero met him, though his jump wasn't nearly as high. The two clashed. The Green Thunder landed on top of the one in red. He punched him in the face. The hero cried out.

"Talk about poor taste in fashion," Mr. L muttered as he delivered another punch. "Who prefers red over green?"

"W-Why do you care?" The hero muttered, his cheek now bruised. "I've seen you before. Who are you, really?"

He grit his teeth. "I already told you! I'm the Green Thunder!"

He was about to punch him again. Then someone grabbed the man in green. They threw him across the room. Mr. L slammed into the floor. His side stung.

He looked up and glared. It was the giant koopa he saw earlier. The beast stood above him with his arms crossed. His voice was deep and raspy. "Watch it, pal! Nobody messes with Mario like that but me!"

That struck a cord. "M-Mario!?"

The hero sat up. He squinted at Mr. L for a few seconds. Then he shook his head. "No. Can't be."

The man in green stood up. He clenched his fists. Why was this one getting on his nerves so much? He rushed towards him, past the koopa. "Hey! GET BACK HERE!" The monster cried. He ignored him.

Mr. L was about to punch him again when someone got in his way. The blonde girl. "If you want to hurt him, you have to get through me!"

Mario's eyes widened. "P-Peach!"

Mr. L smirked. _SLAP!_ Peach cried out. He kicked her legs, sending her toppling down. Then he sprung up. She used a parasol to protect her head. It sent her attacker back down. The man in green groaned as he hit the hard floor.

Ouch. Better drink up. Mr. L reached into the satchel hooked to the back of his belt. He took out a Shroom Shake and pulled the top off. He was just about to drink it when...

It was suddenly snatched from his hands. "Huh!? What?"

The giant koopa had it. He smiled and drank it down right in his face. Mr. L's mouth dropped open. The koopa laughed. "Gotta be faster than that, wimp!"

The Green Thunder glared at him. "...WIMP!?" He growled. "I'LL BREAK YOUR FACE!"

"Careful, Bowser!" The butterfly Pixl cried. "I get the feeling that he's _very_ sensitive."

Mario. Peach. Bowser. Why did these names sound so familiar?

A rush of memories that he thought were lost. _Happybirthdayweloveyousomuch...Goawaygreenmarioorwhateveryournameis..._

These thoughts made his head hurt. Mr. L covered his ears. "Stop it!"

"Make me!" Bowser snarled.

Oh right. He was in the middle of a fight.

Fire. Mr. L backed away. He tried to drink a Shroom Shake again. Stolen again. The hand Pixl gave it to the hero.

Mr. L clenched his fists. "Stop stealing my shakes, you charlatans!"

Mario jumped. He pounced on him. That was enough.

Mr. L fell to the ground. His hands stung. Why was he fighting so poorly? Something was holding him back. Now he was failing. But he wouldn't be for long.

The man in green got back up. "Oof. Impressive. " He smiled. "I guess there's but one thing to do, hmm?" He raised his arms in the air. "COME TO ME, METAL BRO!"

Just then, Brobot burst in through the walls. The heroes backed away. The robot came in between Mr. L and the three of them. He laughed. "Ha HA! Do you like him? That is my _dear_ metal brother. He and I share a spiritual bond, you know."

Mario blinked a few times, confused.

"Yes, yes, and his name is...BROBOT!" He hopped inside and rushed towards the driver's seat. He gripped both levers and turned on the mic. His voice echoed inside the machine. "Enough playing, already...NOW FOR PAIN!"

That was when Mr. L had a strange thought. A thought that went against his own beliefs and the beliefs of the Count.

He didn't want to do this.

* * *

The next thing he knew, they were in outer space again. Squirps came back and the hero was holding onto him. Peach and Bowser were drifting behind. These strange thoughts continued to plague his mind.

_I don't want to do this anymore._

Mr. L brushed it aside. "The gravitational laws of space allow Brobot's potential to be fully realized!"

_I shouldn't be hurting them. I know them from somewhere. Especially the man in red._

He held onto the levers even tighter. "Hey, Mr. Jumps-all-the-time!" He called out to the hero. " _Now_ we'll see who's the better jumper!"

_Are these heroes connected to my past somehow? It's a long shot, but..._

This time, Mr. L wasn't quite feeling the action. His mind almost turned off as he shot lasers at the heroes. He tried to block these thoughts out, but they just kept popping up, like weeds. One stood out from the rest.

_I want to protect him._

He pressed a button. Shot a missile. The hero used the alien to fight back, shooting fire. Then the man in green used an attack he had been looking forward to using. Mr. L pulled a switch. Brobot's mouth hung open. Wind pulled the heroes closer. Mario was the one sucked in. Peach called out his name. The attack wasn't deadly. Brobot shook the hero in his mouth, banging him up. Then he spit him back out. Mario cried in pain.

That wasn't satisfying. Why not?

Soon, it was over. The only problem was that Brobot was falling apart in a fiery explosion. The man in green couldn't help but feel sympathy for his creation. "Hey...this makes no sense!"

_Nothing makes sense to me._

They crashed back into the Whoa Zone. The heroes landed gracefully on their feet. Mr. L landed flat on his stomach. Again. "N-No!" He cried. "You beat Brobot!?"

_Thank goodness._

He stood up, trying to ignore the pain. "Ugh. I'll let you off the hook for the rest of today, I suppose. But remember this...when Fortune smiles next, she'll smile right _here!_ On Mr. L!"

With that, he jumped past them and ran out of the room. As he was leaving, he heard the alien say one last thing. "Ugh...that was awful, Squirp!"

He opened the door to the left and shut it behind him. Mr. L pressed his back against the door. He peered down. A broken lock on the floor. Ah. So, that was why he couldn't leave earlier.

The Green Thunder buried his face in his hands. He shook, anger consuming him. "AAH!" He rushed to the wall and punched it. Mr. L didn't care that his hand was throbbing.

Why couldn't he beat them? Mr. L was a minion of Count Bleck, not one of them! They were his enemies! Why was he thinking of them any differently!?

He let out a frustrated sigh. "Oh well...I better let the Count know of my failure."

He held down on the buckle of the belt. It gave off a yellow glow, which started out small but eventually covered his whole body. Then, he vanished into thin air. The next thing he knew, he was back in the castle. The man in green didn't want to tell the Count what happened, but he knew that he had no choice. With his head lowered, Mr. L left his room and headed for the meeting room instead.


	3. Mixed Feelings

After checking the meeting room and finding no one there, Mr. L decided to check the next best place. He stood outside the Count's bedroom door and knocked. "Come in," The Count said.

The man in green opened the door. He entered a room that was twice as large as his own. The walls were covered in navy blue paint. There was a large bed in the center of the room with elegant purple blankets and two navy blue pillows. There was also a small nightstand and rectangular purple carpet on the left side of the bed. To the right, there was a dresser along with a full body mirror off to the side.

The Count was sitting on his bed, reading the Dark Prognosticus again. He looked up, then smiled and closed the book. After putting it on the nightstand, he said, "Ah, Mr. L. Count Bleck didn't think you would return so quickly. How did it go?"

"Not very well, Count." Then he explained what happened. He left out the part about wanting to protect the hero.

The Count frowned. "Count Bleck sees. So, the heroes defeated you."

Mr. L nodded. "Yes. I'm so sorry, Count. I tried my best! I just..." He stopped himself.

The Count raised an eyebrow. "You just...What, Mr. L?"

How would he explain his conflicting feelings towards the heroes? After a bit of thinking, Mr. L decided that he wouldn't explain them at all. He didn't like keeping secrets, especially from his master, but he had a feeling that it would be better to keep that part to himself.

He shrugged. "I just couldn't beat them. They were better than I expected."

The other man was quiet. Then he smiled. "Calm yourself, Mr. L. Count Bleck knew you would fail all along."

His eyes widened. "What?"

"The man in green shall reach the end of the Maze of Death. Though he will try to snuff the hero's flame, he will remember his own light and surrender in shame.' As told in the Dark Prognosticus." He glanced at the book on his nightstand and nodded.

"Oh. So...what was the point of sending me if you knew I would fail?"

"Count Bleck thought that you needed practice. Plus, you know how the heroes fight now. Did you study their movements?"

_No. I was too busy trying to block out these stupid thoughts._

"Of course, Count."

"Excellent! Don't worry. The Count's minions have been failing their missions lately. Yours was just a minor setback. Count Bleck still has every intention of defeating the hero when the time comes."

Mr. L smiled. "Of course!"

Even though he was smiling, the man in green didn't feel right on the inside. It wasn't because he failed his mission. It was because Mr. L didn't _want_ the Count to defeat the hero. He wanted Mario to be happy and safe and...

"Mr. L, are you alright?"

The Green Thunder nodded. "Yeah," He lied. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"You seem a bit...off somehow."

He laughed nervously. Was it really that obvious? "I'm just upset that the hero defeated me. That's all."

"Never mind about the hero. The situation is under control, Count Bleck assures you. Now you should probably get ready for bed."

Mr. L's eyes widened. "Bed!?" He glanced at his watch. "But it's only 2:30 in the afternoon!"

The Count shrugged. "Time goes by slower in space. This means you also missed lunch and dinner. You must be famished."

"Well, now that you mention it...I _am_ a little hungry."

"Hmm. Well, then, you can wake one of King Bowser's former minions and ask them to serve you something. Some of them are surprisingly good at preparing meals."

Mr. L thought of the giant koopa who stole his shroom shake and called him a wimp. _So, that's where the Count got his lower class minions._ Count Bleck and Nastasia often talked about how some of the goombas and koopas around the castle used to serve a ferocious monster king. That is, until Nastasia brainwashed them. Mr. L secretly thought that it was plain wrong to manipulate someone like that, but it wasn't his place to judge.

"It's okay. I can whip something up. Good night, sir."

Mr. L turned around and started to leave. He opened the door and was about to step into the hall when the Count spoke. "Oh, and Mr. L? One more thing."

He turned to face him. "Yes?"

"Our next meeting is tomorrow at noon. Same place as always. Don't be late."

His eyes widened. "You mean...?"

The Count nodded. Mr. L had been asking if he could attend a meeting for weeks now. The Green Thunder beamed. "Thank you so much!"

After having a bowl of Spicy Soup, Mr. L started to get ready for bed. He dressed in his pajamas and washed his face. When he returned to his bedroom, he turned the lights off. However, instead of going to bed right away, he turned on the small lamp on his desk. This was his way of getting around Nastasia's annoying sleep schedules. Plus, after a long day, it was nice to do something for himself.

Mr. L pulled a book down from his bookshelf. _Robotics 101: A Beginner's Guide._ Then he sat down at his desk and opened the book. He skimmed the chapter titles in the table of contents, then skipped to the section about repairs and upgrades. His brother would need those things if Mr. L ever wanted to face the heroes again.

Half an hour later, the man in green shut the book. To his disappointment, there wasn't a whole lot of information in there that he didn't already know. "Oh well. This _is_ a beginner's guide." He put the book back on the shelf. "I'll need to ask for a more advanced guide the next time we go shopping in the village. I've only built one machine, but I feel like I'm advancing faster than the average person. Not that I'm surprised. I am a fast learner." He paused. "At least...I think I am."

Mr. L sat at the desk, pondering. Most people remembered being small children or even toddlers. Mr. L couldn't even remember his last birthday. (He wasn't quite sure how old he was, but he felt that he was in his late twenties.) Whenever he brought up this problem to Nastasia, she would grow pale and change the subject. Something told him that she didn't _want_ him to remember the past. But she couldn't stop him from wondering.

He was about to turn off the lamp when he noticed something in the corner of his eye. It was a dark green journal with the letter L on it. He smiled and grabbed it. "Oh, what the heck?"

Mr. L laid in bed and wrote about the day's events in his journal. This time, he didn't hold back. He wrote about how he loved and hated the hero for reasons that he couldn't understand. He wrote about how frustrating his amnesia was. And he also wrote about the meeting he would attend tomorrow afternoon. After he was done writing, he couldn't deny how tired he was anymore. He finally gave in and turned off the lamp. Then he got in bed and buried himself in his blankets, trying to forget about that stupid hero.

* * *

The next day, everyone was in the meeting room. Mr. L stood on his own platform. He was calm and collected on the outside, but on the inside, his heart was filled with joy and excitement. It wasn't the fact that he was at a meeting that made him feel this happy. These meetings were reserved for the Count's best minions. If the Count needed him this much, then he would be on another mission in no time.

After getting the boring stuff out of the way, Nastasia finally got to the real reason everyone was there. "Yeah. So, guys? Huddle up, 'kay? We're just gonna have a quick new minion orientation," She began. "His name is Mr. L, and he comes to us from one of our key competitors."

Mr. L stared at his friends: Mimi, O'Chunks, and Dimentio. Although he knew each of them had their own strengths and potential, the Green Thunder still felt like garbage after losing to the heroes. And when he felt bad about himself, he had the tendency to take it out on others.

"Mmm. Can't say I'm impressed by the minion quality," Mr. L began. He sighed and shook his head. "No, indeed. No wonder you've been trounced up to now. You're like _junior_ minions."

O'Chunks glared. "JUNIOR!? C'mere an' I'll introduce yeh to Fist Jr. and his wee pal, Slappie!"

Mimi narrowed her eyes. "Gosh, Mr. L, but didn't you get pretty spanked too? So maybe _you're_ the junior!"

The Green Thunder stepped back in shock. "Spanked, you say?" _He only won because I was distracted._

Then he broke into a grin. Mr. L laughed. "I was _scouting_ him, dear. He will be mine next time."

Mr. L spun around and did his trademark pose. "Yes, he shall know the fury of the one and only Mr. L, AKA the Green Thunder!" Then he returned to his normal standing position. "But enough about me...I need to head to the repair bay for Brobot modifications. L-ater!"

With that, he jumped down from his platform. He only had to stay long enough to introduce himself since it was his first meeting. That was alright though. He loved talking about himself.

As he was leaving, Mr. L heard Count Bleck speak. "Though the man in red shall wield formidable powers, one shall stand against him. The man in green shall use the Chaos Heart's power to bring darkness to all." The Count laughed. "So it is written in the Dark Prognosticus."

The man in green shut the door behind him and headed to the 'repair bay,' otherwise known as the garage. He and Brobot were connected in more ways than one. Brobot was installed with the same teleportation technology that Mr. L had in his belt. It was also set to turn on whenever this technology was used.

The Green Thunder went out the back door, then went to the garage in the back of the castle. He entered the four-digit code. The door slid open. Mr. L went to the light switch. He took a deep breath, then flipped it on. Brobot was in pieces in the center of the room.

His eyes widened. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. This was the price he had to pay for holding back. Mr. L went to the robot's pieces, then picked up one of Brobot's eyes. It had lost its bright yellow glow.

Mr. L frowned. "I'm sorry, _fratello._ I shouldn't have let them do this to you." He smiled. "But don't worry! I'll fix you right up! You'll be bigger, better! You'll..." His eyes lit up as an idea came to mind. Mr. L beamed. "YOU'LL HAVE MISSILES!"

"Missiles, huh?" A voice said.

Mr. L jumped. He turned to the source of the voice and glared. "You scared me!"

Dimentio was hovering a few feet away. He was wearing that stupid grin on his face. "I did? Oh. I apologize. I had no intention of scaring you."

Mr. L rolled his eyes. That apology didn't sound sincere. "What do you want?"

"I just wanted to watch you fix your robot, like an art student who has a deadline to meet."

The man in green tilted his head to the side. Dimentio loved to use similes in his everyday speech, but Mr. L couldn't understand this one. "In what way am I like an art student?"

"Brobot is a work of art, wouldn't you say?"

Mr. L smiled. "Well...when you put it that way..." He glanced at the pieces, then sighed. "You got on my good side, so I suppose you could watch. Just don't do anything stupid."

He sat down and sorted through the pile. He knew that he would have to replace several of his brother's parts, but he wanted to save as much money as possible by reusing what he could. Mr. L found his levers, one of which was snapped into two. He also found a few pieces of the engine, which he knew he would have to replace.

"So, I hear that you've met the man in red. What did you think of him?" Dimentio asked.

Mr. L cringed. "I hate him."

Dimentio laughed. "You do? Why's that?"

_Because he makes me want to protect him and I don't know why._

_"_ Because he's trying to sabotage the Count's plans to create a perfect world. Duh."

"I suppose you're right. What about the others? The princess and the koopa king?"

"I don't mind the princess so much. She's actually kinda cute. It's too bad we're enemies or I would ask her out. As for the koopa king, he's a total pain in the ass! Next time I see him, I'm gonna show him what for!"

The magician chuckled. "I see the heroes are firing you up, like a child with a terrible fever. Why don't we change the subject?"

"Please. If I think about those heroes anymore, I'll want to punch someone."

Dimentio didn't have to think for long. "So, at the meeting today, Nastasia said that you came to us from one of our key competitors. Do you know what she meant by that?"

Mr. L shrugged. He found Brobot's other eye and examined it. The glass exterior was shattered, but other than that, the eye was in good condition. If it was fixed, he could possibly reuse the eye. "As if I know."

"Do you remember anything about who you used to be?"

Mr. L's eyes widened. He turned to his friend. "Why are you asking?"

"I'm just curious. That's all.'

The Green Thunder rolled his eyes and turned back to Brobot's pieces. "Well, curiosity killed the cat."

"But satisfaction brought him back. People always forget that part."

"Whatever. Can you hand me that hot glue gun over there?"

Dimentio nodded and snapped his fingers. Suddenly, the hot glue gun was right next to where Mr. L was sitting. He smiled and grabbed it. "Thanks." With that, he began gluing his broken lever back into one.

Ten minutes later, Mr. L had all of Brobot's pieces in neat piles based on what functionality they had in the system. He smiled and nodded, satisfied with his work. Then he stood and walked towards the door that lead to the inside of the castle. "I'll be right back. I gotta use the toilet. Don't touch anything or you're dead."

Mr. L walked out of the garage and shut the door behind him. Dimentio chuckled. He knew the secrets of everyone in the castle, with the exception of one. This had to change. Dimentio snapped his fingers. Then a dark green journal appeared in his hand. The magician looked for a lock, but couldn't find any. His smile grew. This was easier than getting into Mimi's diary! He flipped to the most recent entry and began to read.

_Entry #20: Another long day working for the Count. Sometimes, I feel like I should be doing something else with my time, but I'm not needed elsewhere. Anyway, I just got back from my first mission. A real mission, not carrying Mimi's shopping bags or taking care of the groceries like I have been for the past six weeks. Today, I finally got to face the hero._

_I was so sure that I would win this fight. I_ _nstead, I lost. He defeated me and destroyed my metal brother. I have absolutely no reason to care about the hero. After all, he's the one getting in the way of the Count's plans. But for some reason...I feel like I know him from somewhere. Not only that, but I want to protect him. I know that the Count is going to defeat him one day. The end just seems to be getting closer and closer. Is it wrong to want a little more time? I mean, I still haven't figured out who I used to be before I met with Nastasia that day. What if my true family is out there, waiting for me with open arms? What if the Void kills them?_

_No, I shouldn't be thinking about such things right before bed. But I can't end this entry on that dark note. The Count invited me to a meeting tomorrow. I'm so excited. Don't get me wrong; I'm not actually looking forward to the meeting itself. Just the fact that he invited me proves my worth as one of his best minions. I hope it goes well. I need to work hard if I'm going to get another chance to fight the hero. Next time, I won't hold back. (The first step is to get a better Robotics guide when I have the time.)_

Dimentio grinned from ear to ear. He knew something about Mr. L that few people in the castle did, not even Mimi or O'Chunks. Dimentio was one of the few people who knew that Mr. L's real name was Luigi and he was the fourth hero mentioned in the Light Prognosticus. The poor fool was just hypnotized into thinking he was one of Count Bleck's faithful servants. Dimentio almost pitied him. Almost.

Most of the time, Nastasia's hypnosis was so powerful that it was impossible to overcome. The only way that a person could be free again was to have the assistant undo it herself. However, since Luigi was one of the four heroes, he had incredible power inside of him. It was this same power that allowed Princess Peach to resist Nastasia's hypnosis, albeit for a short time. This power could also undo any brainwashing.

Nastasia was well aware of this and kept a close eye on the man in green. If he remembered his true self, then all of the Count's hard work would be for nothing. But Dimentio knew that she couldn't keep Mr. L in the dark forever. Memories would gradually start coming back. The feelings of love that Mr. L felt for the hero would only grow stronger. With time, the man in green would remember who he really was and turn on Count Bleck. If he reached that point, no one would be able to stop him. Of course, Dimentio would take care of things before that happened. But since it hadn't reached that point yet...

"Oh, my. This is interesting." He snapped his fingers. The journal teleported from the magician's hands to the room where he found it. The jester chuckled a little. "I wonder how I'll use this to my advantage."


	4. In Which a Plan is Concocted

It was late at night. Mr. L sat in the library of the castle, concentrating on the archaic newspaper. _HERO SAVES WOMAN FROM CRAZY APE!_ There was a picture of Mario with his arm wrapped around a pretty brunette in a red dress and makeup.

The article went on to talk about Mario and his girlfriend at the time, Pauline James. Mario was an intern at a local construction site when Donkey Kong, a popular ape at the Prospect Park Zoo in Brooklyn, New York, broke out of his cage and kidnapped Pauline. Mario, who was locking up, saw this and came to the rescue. The man in red was able to save his girlfriend before she got hurt.

"Hmm...Well, I have to give you props for bravery," Mr. L muttered. "I'm not sure I'd be able to go against a giant ape." He glanced at the picture of Donkey Kong at the bottom, who wore a smile and a red tie with the initials DK on it. It was hard to believe such a friendly looking creature could be so aggressive.

The man in green skimmed through the rest of the newspaper. This came from a different dimension, where a country called America existed. Mr. L was not at all surprised when he heard of this place. In fact, something deep inside of him expected it.

There wasn't much else on Mario. He folded that paper up and put it back into the folder where he found it. Nastasia had folders filled with research materials about the three heroes from the prophecy. Strangely enough, she didn't have anything for that fourth hero. Not that it mattered anyway.

He grabbed another article from Mario's folder, pulled it out, then unfolded it and began to skim. This one came from the Mushroom Kingdom. The headline was as straight forward as the previous one: _KING_ _BOWSER DEFEATED! MARIO BROTHERS SAVE THE DAY AGAIN!_ He was about to read the story when a picture caught his eye. Mario and another man were posing for the camera with the princess.

The other man looked exactly like Mr. L.

The Green Thunder rubbed his eyes. The picture looked the same. He stared at the photo, capturing every detail. His doppelganger had the same face as him, the only difference being his blue eyes. He wore a green shirt and blue overalls along with a green cap with an L on the front. A strange sensation came over him as he read the caption at the bottom of the photo. _Mario Mario (right) and his brother Luigi (left) with our beloved Princess Peach (center)._

"Luigi," Mr. L repeated. The name felt foreign on his tongue, yet familiar. Luigi was taller and skinnier than Mario, but the two brothers had an amazing resemblance. They had to have been twins. Fraternal twins, maybe, but still twins nonetheless. But if Luigi was Mario's brother...then why did he have the same face as Mr. L?

He thought about it until his head started hurting. He set the article down and rubbed his temples. "I'm thinking about this too hard. There's enough people in the multi-verse to look like me..."

"Mr. L?" Someone said. The man in green turned and noticed Nastasia in the doorway. "What are you doing up? It's past everyone's bedtime."

He stood. "Nothing! I just couldn't sleep is all. I thought I'd read for a bit."

She looked in the direction of the table and frowned. "About the hero again?"

Mr. L stared at the floor, embarrassed. "How'd you know?"

"Because you've been obsessing over him ever since you failed your mission the other day."

He frowned and crossed his arms. "It was a _scouting_ mission! I just don't get _why_ I failed though. I'm supposed to be more powerful than him! The Dark Prognosticus says so!"

"Well...it is at least 1,500 years old. They could've gotten some things wrong. Anyway, you need to get to bed."

He huffed and muttered under his breath, "Why do you get to stay up?"

"I'm doing research for the Count. Now get some sleep. Don't let me catch you staying up again."

Mr. L sighed and walked past her. "Good night, I guess."

"Good night, L."

Nastasia watched Mr. L leave the room. She sighed. Apparently, he thought that she didn't notice how he stayed up late at night. Honestly, she needed to talk with their newest minion about that. She would do it in the morning, when he was awake enough to listen. The assistant went to the table and began to clear it off. She picked up one newspaper and her eyes grew wide. It was a picture of two of the heroes with Mr. L.

No, not Mr. L. It was Luigi.

Nastasia took a deep breath. She had only met Mr. L's true self twice, both encounters brief. The first time, he tried to stop Bowser and Peach's wedding and save the princess, but all he did was enrage the Chaos Heart and scatter everyone about the castle. The second time, Nastasia knew that he had to be the man in green mentioned in the Dark Prognosticus.

She had to brainwash him. However, as Mario's twin, he couldn't get the standard procedure that ordinary minions received. She had no choice but to wipe his memories and release his inner ambitions, resulting in a person who acted completely different from his true self.

However, she still saw bits of Luigi in Mr. L. She saw him in his complete focus to the task at hand. She saw him in his eagerness to help. She even saw it in the way he hugged her when she told him he was going on an actual mission for the first time.

Now, looking at the newspaper, Nastasia knew she should not have let Mr. L see that. "Oh well. He's more likely to dismiss it as some kind of coincidence than realize the truth." Her grip on the paper tightened. "Although...I shouldn't take risks like that."

Nastasia left the room with the paper. She would burn it and flush the ashes down the toilet. Then, in the morning, she would order the Count's lower class minions to re-examine their research materials.

* * *

_"I'm gonna kill you!"_

_The boy in green pounced on his brother. The other boy glared and tried to shove him off, but the younger one was stubborn. The green one punched his brother in the face. The red one punched right back._

_Their mother's voice. "_ _Mario?" A burst of static. "What is going on!?" S_ _he ran down the back steps. "Both of you, stop it!"_

_The boy in green felt someone pull him off of his brother. He groaned and struggled in his mother's grip, trying to grab his brother. "I said stop...!" Another burst of static._ _At the sound of his name, the boy in green grew still and his mother put him down._ _The boy in green pouted and crossed his arms._ _By this time, Mario was standing, but he refused to look at his brother._

_The woman looked back and forth between her sons. The two boys were joined at the hip and hardly ever fought, especially like this. "What is wrong with you two?"_

_"It's his fault!" The boy in green said. "I wouldn't have done it if he hadn't been so dumb!"_

_"What did he do?"_

_"He hit me!" Mario interrupted. "He punched me in the face!"_

_"Only because you're such a stupid head!"_

_"_ _I'm only listening to one of you right now!" The boys grew quiet at that. Their mama sure was scary when she was cross._

_After that, the boys explained the situation. The boy in green liked a girl at school, but he was too nervous to say anything, so the boy in red told the girl for him. The girl made fun of the boy in green, insisting she didn't date cowards, then said she would date Mario if he was just trying to ask her. Mama told Mario to keep that kind of information to himself unless his brother told him otherwise and then demanded that the boy in green not hit his brother. Then she did the most evil thing that a mother could do: she made them both apologize and shake hands or no dessert for a week._

_Once they shook hands, Mama nodded. "There. Now you two are going to be friends again!" She sighed. "Honestly, you two are brothers! You shouldn't fight. One day, you'll be all each other has."_

* * *

"Brothers...Shouldn't fight..."

Someone started shaking him. "L!" A girly voice cried. He groaned and turned over. "L, wake up! It's almost noon!"

His eyes opened. Mr. L sat up. "What? Noon, already?"

Mimi was standing by his bedside, wearing a hot pink tank top and a blue skirt. "Yep. Come on. Breakfast."

Mr. L sighed before standing and stretching. "Okay, I'm up. Happy?"

"The rest of us have been up for hours. I told you you shouldn't stay up past Jaydes' hour. But did you listen? Nooooo!"

"Mind your own business, Arachne."

Mimi smiled at the sound of her nickname. "What? Am I such a bad friend for caring?"

"No. It's just annoying sometimes. What are we having?"

"Pancakes and ham."

Mr. L grinned. "Sounds good. Just give me time to get dressed."

Mimi nodded and left the room. Mr. L went to his closet and decided to wear something casual. He put on a green flannel shirt with black stripes and black pants. He also grabbed his mask, which he couldn't leave without. He ran a brush through his hair and checked himself in his mirror. Mr. L smiled at his reflection. He was handsome as usual.

When he left his room, Mimi was waiting for him. The two walked downstairs to the dining room, an elegant room with blue walls and a table. The Count sat at the head of the table in a large velvet chair with red cushions. The other chairs were smaller and didn't have cushions. Nastasia sat to his right and O'Chunks sat next to her. Dimentio sat next to the Count, on the latter's left hand side.

Mimi sat in her chair next to O'Chunks. "I got him up. Finally."

"Oh, good, says Count Bleck! We were all beginning to think that our dear Mr. L was nocturnal."

Mimi laughed for way too long at that. Wiping tears from her eyes, she said, "Oh, Count. You're so funny!"

Mr. L rolled his eyes. Mimi had a huge crush on their Count. She said she was waiting for the right moment to tell him, but everyone knew, including the Count himself. Mr. L sat in his spot next to Dimentio. As soon as he sat down, a koopa approached the table with a plate of pancakes and placed it in front of him.

The man in green smiled and turned back to face the koopa. "Thanks."

Red, lifeless eyes staring back at him. "You're welcome, man in green."

Mr. L frowned and turned away. No doubt that koopa was under strong hypnosis.

"So, how was your sleep, Mr. L?" The Count asked.

"Good," He muttered. He took his knife and spread butter over the pancakes. Next he took the syrup and poured it over his breakfast.

"Any interesting dreams?" Nastasia added.

He was about to say no, then remembered his most recent dream. "Actually, I had an interesting one last night."

"Is that so, asked the Count? Well, what happened in it?"

Mr. L thought hard, trying to remember every detail. "Well, I was a child in this dream. Another boy was with me too. We were fighting over something stupid. This might sound crazy, but...I think we were brothers."

Nastasia froze. "Brothers?"

"Uh-huh." He took a pancake and cut it into halves. Then he cut those halves into fourths. He ate one of the pieces of the pancake, soft and sweet.

Count Bleck and Nastasia exchanged glances. Mr. L might have imagined it, but he thought he heard Dimentio chuckling. The Count asked, "Do you remember anything about this boy?"

"Not much. I remember he liked the color red and he was a bit short, but that's it. See, when I'm dreaming, I remember his face as clear as day. But when I wake up, my memory gets foggy. Right now, I can't even remember his name."

Nastasia glanced at Count Bleck again. He shook his head and went back to eating. Nastasia took a deep breath and began to cut her hunk of ham into smaller, bit-sized pieces. "It was probably a friend of yours. You don't know if he was your brother."

"But this woman said that we shouldn't fight _because_ we're brothers! I know we were related. I just..." Mr. L stopped.

O'Chunks had a pile of food on his plate. Five pancakes. A mess of scrambled eggs on top. Pieces of ham, bacon, and sausage. He was stuffing himself with food. Mr. L couldn't help but stare. The Scotsman noticed this and frowned. "What?" He asked with his mouth full.

"That's a lot of food."

O'Chunks swallowed hard. He spoke with his index finger out. "Warrior rule number one: never fight on an empty stomach! 'Tis madness!"

Mr. L looked to Mimi and Dimentio. The magician spoke up. "O'Chunks is facing the hero again today."

"And this time, failing isn't an option," Nastasia added. She glanced at the Scotsman. "Is that clear, O'Chunks?"

O'Chunks gulped. "Yes, lass. Clear as a bell!"

Mr. L grinned. "Well, when you see him, tell him a storm's coming. The Green Thunder never forgets!"

He hesitated. "I don't know. I don't take bein' called a _junior_ lightly."

"Oh, come on. I was just teasing." He looked to everyone else. "Right? I was just teasing?"

Mimi frowned and crossed her arms. "I don't know. You sounded pretty serious."

"What!? Who's side are you on, anyway!?"

Dimentio chuckled. "I knew you were joking, Mr. L."

"See? Mr. Houdini over here gets it!"

O'Chunks furrowed his brows. "Mr. Who?"

The man in green shrugged. "I don't know. I think that's the name of some magician."

The Scotsman sighed. "Well...I'll think 'bout it. How's that?"

"Good enough for me." Mr. L started to cut the second pancake into pieces. "And be sure to go easy on him, okay?"

O'Chunks frowned. "Why do I need teh go easy on 'im?"

Mr. L stopped. Everyone was staring at him. _Why did I say that?_ He had to recover fast. He smirked and feigned confidence. "I mean, you can easily crush him like the bug that he is. We all can. But at least make him think he has a shot, you know? That makes the fight more interesting."

O'Chunks hesitated. "Uh...Alright, lad. Whatever yeh say."

Thankfully, the rest of breakfast went on as normal. After everyone was done, the brainwashed servants cleaned up the dining room. Mr. L felt some guilt over that, but turned away and began heading towards the garage. Before he could leave, however, Dimentio was at his side again. "Mr. L?"

The man in green jumped. "Would you stop startling me like that? _Per l'amor di Dio..."_

"You speak good Italian. Are you fluent?"

Mr. L nodded. "Very fluent. Need something?"

"Yes, actually. I need to grab a few extra food items for the Count, but I detest shopping all by myself. Do you mind coming with me?"

He furrowed his brows. "Huh? Like...grocery shopping? Don't the Count's lower class minions already do that?"

"It's just a few extra items. So, what do you say?"

The mechanic looked in the direction of the garage. "I don't know. I really need to work on repairing Brobot."

"Didn't you mention last night you still need to get the new parts?"

"Well, yeah, but I gotta work on the blueprints!"

"Oh, come on," Dimentio said. "You can take a break, can't you? Besides, you need a more advanced Robotics guide, right?"

Mr. L stepped back. "How did you know that?"

"I know everything. So, will you come with me?"

The man in green sighed. "Okay, fine. But only so I can get that better guide!"

"Marvelous. Let's go."

Dimentio turned towards the door, but Mr. L grabbed his arm. "Wait! I still need to get my shoes on!"

The magician snapped his fingers and a pair of gray boots appeared at Mr. L's feet. The man in green sighed and put them on. Dimentio wrote on the whiteboard on the fridge that they would be out. After both men were ready, the two exited the castle. After that, they took a walk to the village alongside the hill.

* * *

The men talked on their way to the village. They were an odd pair, but they worked well together. Just as long as Dimentio didn't ask too many questions, Mr. L liked him okay. He was always there to listen and usually took Mr. L's side when he was arguing with the others. Plus, his magic and eloquent way of storytelling made him amusing.

When they arrived at the village, they were met with worn down buildings and a pretty purple sky above them. People chatting and shopping in the stores. Merchants out, showing off their charisma and fine jewelry.

"Only 300 coins and this beautiful gold necklace could be yours!"

"450 coins for a dazzling sapphire bracelet!"

"90 rubees for a polished diamond ring! Authentic too!"

Dimentio chuckled as they passed the diamond seller. "I bet Mimi is just waiting for the Count to propose, diamond ring and all. What do you think, L?" He waited, but got no response. The magician turned to his friend. Mr. L was staring towards the distance. Dimentio tapped his shoulder. "Mr. L?"

The man in green flinched. "Sorry. What were you saying?"

Dimentio raised an eyebrow. "What are you staring at?"

Mr. L pointed. "Those people over there."

He looked in the direction that Mr. L was pointing and noticed a crowd of people talking to each other. Although they varied in social class, all of them had forlorn looks on their faces; one girl was hugging her father and crying into his chest. "What about them?"

"They're humans. Like me. I thought we were an endangered species around here."

"Oh. Well, this village has had a flood of refugees. You see, the Void has already swallowed some worlds."

Mr. L's eyes widened, speaking with worry. "What!? But the end's not here yet! Not even close!"

"It comes earlier for some places than others."

"Oh...But we still have time, don't we?"

"Of course we do, L. Don't worry. Come on." Dimentio floated on ahead, gesturing for Mr. L to follow. "Someone has to take care of these items."

"Right. Of course!" Mr. L caught up with Dimentio. "You got the list, don't you?"

Dimentio nodded. He pulled it out of one of his pockets. "I sure do. Let's see here..."

He began reading off the items they needed. The mechanic only half-listened. The Void had already erased whole worlds. Those people barely got out with their lives. Not only that, but who knows how many more innocent people weren't so lucky? How many lost their lives...because of them? Mr. L shook his head. _It's for the good of everyone. This way is better. I just have to believe in the Count's word._

The Green Thunder grabbed a small black crate at the front of the store. He followed Dimentio while the magician chatted away. He nodded and made short comments here and there. By the time they were waiting in line for the bagger, Dimentio said, "Alright, L. What's wrong?"

"What?"

"You know what. You've been acting off lately, like a young adolescent who suffers from melancholy, but won't tell their parents. Is this about the people outside?"

Mr. L sighed. "Alright, you got me. I just can't help but feel sorry for them, you know? I mean, they lost everything. I wish there was some way we could help..."

"Don't worry. Count Bleck will help them when this world ends. You'll just have to wait and see."

The mechanic nodded. "Okay."

Soon, they were second in line. The only problem was that a large family was in front of them and the children persuaded their parents to buy a lot of sweets along with several other food items. Mr. L groaned. "Oh, Grambi! What couple decides to have seven brats!?"

"Now, now, L. We just need to wait patiently."

"I've been patient!" He shouted, louder than intended. Mr. L felt pairs of eyes on him, but didn't care.

"I can help whoever's next in line," A voice said.

The man in green let out a sigh of relief. "Finally! We've been waiting here for...for..."

The other man had tan skin, thick black hair, and a square face with prominent checkbones and large chocolate brown eyes. The best part was that he looked in his late twenties or early thirties, same as Mr. L. The cashier smiled at them. Mr. L grinned and shoved past Dimentio. "Hey there, handsome. The name's Mr. L. It's a pleasure to meet you..." He read his name tag. "Tristan."

The cashier blushed. "Uh...the pleasure's all mine." He cleared his throat. "How are you doing today?"

"Better now that you're here."

Dimentio furrowed his brows, looking back and forth between his friend and the cashier. Was Mr. L flirting...with another man?

"So, where are you from?" Mr. L continued. _Please don't tell me your world was just destroyed._

Tristan frowned. "I actually come from Sarasaland. Have you ever heard of it?"

The man in green stroked his chin. "Hmm. It rings a bell, but I don't think I've ever been there."

"The taxes there have been _insane_ lately. Plus, the Void is huge."

Mr. L frowned. "I wouldn't worry too much about it. It's small here. We have plenty of time."

There was a moment of silence. Tristan kept ringing their items up while Mr. L turned to look at the window. Dimentio looked in the same direction. The Void had grown considerably since the Green Thunder took on his first mission. Mr. L chewed his lip, a nervous habit he picked up recently.

"What about you? Where are you from originally?" Tristan asked.

Mr. L opened his mouth, then closed it. He didn't have a solid answer for that question. _Crap. What am I supposed to say? 'I don't remember?' He would think I'm nuts!_ He scanned his mind for answers when he remembered the newspaper he read the night before. "Brooklyn."

Tristan furrowed his brows. "Brooklyn?"

"New York. America."

"Never heard of it."

"It's in a different dimension."

Tristan's eyes widened. "Does the Void really reach out that far?"

Mr. L shook his head. "I came here out of my own free will. I had no idea any worlds were in danger." He decided to change the subject before Tristan prompted him any further. "So, any plans for this weekend?"

"Um...I'm flattered, but sorry. I'm straight."

He frowned. "Really? That's a shame."

Just then, Tristan finished ringing them up. "Your total is 150 coins."

Dimentio came forward and laid some coins along with rubees on the counter. "Here you are. I hope that much will suffice."

Tristan's eyes widened. "Whoa! You have rubees?"

"One of our roommates collects rubees. Can't live without them. I believe a rubbee is 10 coins, if you need the conversion."

The cashier grinned and put some of the money in the register. "This much should suffice. You have a couple more rubbees than you need though..."

"Keep the change," Mr. L said.

Tristan smiled. "Thank you. Have a good day!"

_"Ciao!"_

"L-ater!"

The two exited the store with shopping bags. Mr. L was still smiling, cheeks a bright shade of pink. "You know, it's too bad that guy is straight. He was _really_ cute."

Dimentio stared. "You're attracted to men?"

The Green Thunder turned away. "Uh...Yeah."

"Why haven't you ever mentioned this?"

"You don't go walking around...er, floating around...advertising the fact you like girls, do you?"

"So, what you're telling me is...you're a homosexual?"

Mr. L's eyes widened. He jerked to Dimentio. "I never said that!"

Dimentio grinned. "Oh, Mr. L." He patted his head as if he was a small child. "There's nothing wrong with being gay. I don't mind. In fact, I applaud you for being so open about your sexuality."

"I-I'm not gay! I'm..." He stared at the ground. "I'm bisexual, okay?"

"Oh. So you're attracted to both men and women."

"Yeah. Is that..." Mr. L looked at his friend. "Is that wrong?"

The magician blinked a few times. There was a strange innocence in his eyes. He saw that kind of look on Mimi often, usually when she wanted something from him, but not on someone like Mr. L. Dimentio shook his head. "No, not at all. I don't mind your preferences."

Mr. L messed with the hem of his shirt. "I actually prefer women, but I wouldn't mind dating a guy if they were interested. Or really good looking like Tristan."

"I see." Dimentio looked across the street and pointed. "Isn't that the store where you found that first manual?

The mechanic turned and nodded. "That's the one. I'll just head in there real quick. You want to come with?"

"You go ahead. I'll wait here."

"Okay. How about we meet back up out here?"

"Sounds good to me. Please return quickly, like an office worker returning form-"

Mr. L rolled his eyes before setting his bags down and walking away. "Yeah, yeah. I'll make it quick."

Dimentio watched his friend go inside the store. He stroked his chin, then sat on a nearby bench. If the Dark Prognosticus was correct, the heroes would fail at protecting another world. After that, each of them would go to either the Underwhere or Overthere based on their sins. If Dimentio's plan worked out the way he wanted, then Mr. L would have to go with them.

Still, the Dark Prognosticus named the man in green as the ideal host for the Chaos Heart. He would need his power if he ever wanted to overthrow the Count. But how would Dimentio convince Mr. L to betray him? Well...he was stubborn, but smarter than the others. Maybe if Dimentio explained his intentions, then Mr. L would join him.

No, he wouldn't. Thanks to Nastasia, Mr. L believed that Count Bleck was his master. Dimentio couldn't just expect him to betray the Count willingly. Right now, he had two options. He heard rumors about an item from another dimension that could give its owner control of another person's mind. This item was called the floro sprout. It was in the same dimension the heroes would end up next coincidentally. However, Dimentio didn't even know if the floro sprout would work.

The second option would be harder. He would have to get closer to Mr. L. That would mean convincing him to put down the screwdrivers and wrenches and spend some time with him. How in the world would he do that? The magician thought it over before coming up with an idea. A far-fetched one, but it might just work.

Just then, Mr. L came outside, empty-handed. Dimentio floated over to him. "That was fast. Where's the advanced guide you were talking about?"

Mr. L sighed. "I popped in there and asked an employee about it, but apparently, they only sell beginner's manuals there. And I don't know of any other place in this village that sells these manuals. I guess I'm just gonna have to fix my bro without reference. I mean, I can learn the material in the books pretty fast, but...I don't know if I'm ready to upgrade a giant robot all on my own. I feel kind of nervous about it."

Dimentio blinked a few times. Most of the time, Mr. L was confident and even boastful of his abilities. This was the first time he ever noticed a dent in that confidence. _I need to see how he would feel about this idea. Maybe I can try testing him._

The magician laughed before wrapping an arm around the man in green. He pulled him close and spoke softly into his ear. "Nervous? You have no reason to be nervous, my dear Mr. L. You started out by knowing nothing about robotics, then studied vigorously for four weeks and finished your first creation in half that time! Don't you see? _You're brilliant."_ Dimentio turned to his friend and smiled when he saw how his words were affecting him.

Mr. L was blushing. And not so subtly either. His cheeks were as red as a fresh tomato. He grinned and laughed. "Y-You really think I'm brilliant?"

Dimentio shook his head. "I don't think. I know."

The Green Thunder smirked. "Damn right you do! I'm one of the Count's best, after all!"

"Of course you are. Now, we should probably be heading back."

Mr. L nodded before picking up his bags and walking back with Dimentio in silence. Most of the time, he wouldn't stop talking. He was still blushing.

"Are you feeling alright, L? Your cheeks are burning like a wildfire set unexpectedly into the night."

"I'm just thinking about Tristan. That's all."

The magician chuckled. "Whatever you say."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be posting the rest of what I have pretty rapid-fire since I want to get the story posted quickly for my online friends. There will be a new chapter every day until I reach Chapter 16, which is where I'm currently at. If you want to read the story sooner, check Fanfiction. Thanks.


	5. A Surprise

Mr. L and Dimentio returned to the castle and set their groceries in the kitchen. The former let out a sigh a relief. "I'm so glad to be back."

"I am too." Dimentio snapped his fingers. However, instead of a spell going off, two goombas came forward. One of them had those same red eyes that the Koopa from earlier had. The other one looked untouched and even had a mischievous spark in his brown eyes. Mr. L wasn't surprised; some of Bowser's minions turned to their side willingly. "Be good goombas and put these away for us, will you?"

"Yes, sir!" The goombas said.

"Wait, Dimentio," Mr. L interrupted.

"Yes?"

"Um...Can't we put away our own groceries?"

Dimentio raised an eyebrow. "Why would we need to do that? We have people who do it for us." The same could be said about grocery shopping, but that was only so Dimentio could talk to Mr. L further. He didn't see the same opportunity in putting things away, aside from small talk.

"I know, but this seems simple enough." With that, Mr. L turned to the goombas and pointed. "You two, go make yourselves useful and...I don't know...clean something!"

"Yes, sir!"

The goombas left. When they were out of earshot, the one with the red eyes asked, "When do you think he'll figure it out, Kevin?"

"I don't know, Gary. It's already been a month and a half. You'd think he'd get it by now."

"Well, Luigi is one of those stupid Mario brothers."

"Let's just let the poor sap think he's the great 'Mr. L' a while longer," The goomba said with a smirk. "He's pretty funny when he's like this."

"Okay!"

The friends snickered as they returned to their duties.

Meanwhile, back in the kitchen, Dimentio furrowed his brows. "Why did you do that?"

"I don't know. I didn't really think before doing," Mr. L admitted. "But we might as well put these away." With that, he began taking food out of the large paper bags.

Dimentio watched with fascination and confusion before pitching in as well. "Is it something personal? I can't help but notice you've been giving the servants less of a hard time than usual."

"No. I mean...it might be a little personal. I was in their place for a while until Mimi took pity on me," Mr. L said, thinking back to that day in this same room.

_He had only been around for a week. Mr. L was thrilled that morning when he heard he was going on his first mission for the Count, so one could only imagine his disappointment when his supposed "mission" was just getting the groceries. As he set his bags down in the kitchen, he mumbled, "_ _I can't believe they misled me like this. I'm the Green Thunder, gosh-darn it! I deserve to do so much more!" He sighed. "Oh well..."_

_With that, he started loading food into the fridge. After putting away the eggs, milk, and some snacks, he saw bright green out of the corner of his eye. He turned and noticed a small green girl with pigtails. "_ _Hey."_

_"Hi. You're that guy who slept in my bed that one time, aren't you?"_

_Mr. L smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of his head. "Heh...Oh, yeah. Sorry about that. I was really tired for some reason."_

_"You can't remember why you were tired?" She asked, tilting her head._

_"Uh...It's a long story." In truth, he couldn't remember why himself, but he didn't feel like making up a reason. He continued putting things away, but he felt the girl watch him the whole time. He turned. "_ _Why are you watching me?"_

_"Come here."_

_He walked over to her. "What is it?"_

_A small smile appeared on her face. "I just realized that I never learned your name. Mine's Mimi!"_

_"Oh. I'm Mr. L," He replied._

_"It's very nice to meet you." She got a little closer to him, lightly touching his forearm. "Tell me...Do you know self-defense?"_

_Mr. L furrowed his brows, not sure how to react to her touch. "Uh...What?"_

_"Do you know how to beat people up and stuff?"_

_"Well...I guess..."_

_She grinned. "Good. I hate to see all that potential go to waste. How would you like me to talk to the Count for you, get you promoted?"_

_His eyes widened. "_ _You'd do that for me?"_

_"Of course! Why wouldn't I? I am a nice person."_

_He beamed. "Thank you so much!"_

_She giggled. "It's no problem!" Mimi started to leave the room, then turned back at the last second. "_ _Oh, and have you ever thought about a costume change?"_

_Mr. L blinked a few times. "What do you mean?" He asked, looking down at his clothes._

_"I just think you could use some new clothes is all," She said, returning to his side. She eyed his outfit critically. "No offense, but those overalls are so played out. I can help you with that. I design most of my own clothes and I can design something awesome for you too! I would just have to get your measurements first."_

_Mr. L thought about rejecting her offer, but then again, Nastasia did mention a change in wardrobe... "Okay. Fine."_

_Mimi's smile returned. "Great! How about meeting in my room after dinner, maybe around 6ish?"_

_"That sounds great. Thank again for your help."_

_She grinned and walked out. "Oh, you're welcome."_

"...And so, she designed my mechanic outfit for me and gave me a boost up the social caste," Mr. L explained.

Dimentio chuckled. "I once heard Mimi going on and on to the Count about this man who needed to be included in his court. Is that really how she went about it?"

"Yeah. We'd hardly talked and yet she wanted me on board." He put some canned food into the cupboard. "She even called me her 'new project' for a little while," Mr. L added, making air quotes. "Not that I liked Mimi branding me as such, but..."

Suddenly, Mimi was in the doorway. "I heard my name. Are you guys talking about me?"

"We were just talking about our first meeting," Mr. L replied casually.

"How did that come up? And..." Mimi furrowed her brows. "What are you guys even doing?"

"Putting things away."

"Why? We have people who do that for us."

Mr. L sighed. "Mimi, don't you have something better to do? Like writing about how much you love the Count or something?"

Her eyes widened. "Mr. L, have you been reading my diary!?" She spoke with a mix of shock and disgust.

"No." He gestured to Dimentio with his thumb. "He has."

Dimentio grinned. "'I imagine the Count and me on a lovely beach. It's a sunny morning and the sand is warm...'"

Mimi covered her ears. "LA LA LA LA! I'M NOT LISTENING!~"

While Dimentio kept quoting Mimi's diary and she sung over it loudly, Mr. L decided to give the girl a break. He pulled out a small dead bird from one of the shopping bags. "Here. Take it." He and Dimentio spotted it on the way back. While most people would've ignored it and kept on, he knew that some spiders ate birds.

Mimi uncovered her ears. "Ha! There is no way you're gonna make me drop this with some..." She stopped. She started sniffing the air, drawing closer to the bird. Mimi let out a sigh of pleasure, even showing a small smile. However, she replaced it with a frown in an instant. She grumbled and took the bird begrudgingly, shooting a glare at Dimentio. "I'll get you, Dimentio. Just you wait!" With that, she left the kitchen with the dead bird.

Dimentio chuckled. "She's an amusing girl, isn't she?"

Mr. L allowed himself a smile. "Yeah, I guess she is somewhat entertaining."

After packing a few more things, the magician decided to test his idea some more. "So, it's obvious that Mimi is eager for her 'special someone.' How do you feel about romance?"

Mr. L shrugged, not giving it much thought. "I mean, it'd be nice, but I don't think it's happening anytime soon. What about you? Are you looking for a woman?" He quickly added, "...Or a man?"

"Yes, actually. I once had a nice girl, but we simply weren't meant for each other," Dimentio replied. It was half true. A long time ago, he met a girl who liked him, but he just didn't like her back for whatever reason.

"Hey, don't worry. You'll find someone." Mr. L put some apples in the fridge and noticed that the grocery bags were now empty. "I think that's all of it."

"Really? It feels like we had more when we were still shopping."

"Yeah, I agree, but at least we got that out of the way. Well, see you later."

With that, the man in green left the room. Dimentio watched him with satisfaction. His more emotional approach with Mr. L had potential, but just in case, he also needed to see about that floro sprout. He would wait until tomorrow. Then he would follow O'Chunks into the Land of the Cragnons.

Mr. L stroked his chin, deep in thought. Now that he got the groceries taken care of, he might as well get back to working on Brobot. "Hmm...Now, where did I leave my notes? I haven't worked in the garage yet today, so they can't be there." He thought about it before remembering that he left his notes in the library. "Of course. Hopefully, Nastasia didn't touch my notebook."

He went to the library. Mr. L was about to enter when a voice from inside stopped him. "No, no! Not that one! This one!" Mr. L stepped back to listen. "Nastasia doesn't want a trace of the man in green! If you see anything about him, get rid of it! Shred it, burn it! Those are direct orders!"

"Yes, sir!" A group of minions chorused.

Mr. L blinked a few times. "Man in green? But that's me..." He heard a shredder being put to work. He hesitated. "Just be casual..." The man in green took a deep breath, then strolled in casually. He saw that six koopas were in the room, one of which was in charge.

"Hello, man in green," They greeted.

"Yeah, hi. Have any of you seen my notebook?

Their leader spoke up. "The one you left in here last night?" Mr. L nodded. "It should be upstairs, in your room. I knew you would worry about it, so I put it up while you were out."

Mr. L let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you, um...I wanna say your name is Jeffery?"

The koopa frowned. "Jeremy."

"Right, right," His smile faded. "Before I go, may I ask why Nastasia wants you to destroy stuff with me in it?"

"I don't understand, sir."

"You said she wants you to get rid of material with the man in green. That's me," He said, pointing to himself.

Jeremy shook his head. "No, not you. This man here." He showed Mr. L the piece of paper that he was holding. It was an article about Luigi. His picture was front and center, Mario being absent. This must have been an adventure he took on his own.

Mr. L nodded. "I see. Thanks for clearing that up." The man in green left the library. As he climbed up the stairs to his room, he muttered to himself, "Why would they want to destroy stuff about Luigi? That loser's really not worth all the fuss."

The smallest koopa watched him leave. He turned back to his leader. "He's gone."

Jeremy let out a sigh of relief. "Thank Grambi. That was a close one.

The others were so concentrated on the mistake they nearly made that they didn't sense another presence in the room. Dimentio stared at the group of Koopas, invisible. Coincidentally, he also had to go to the library, but he made it much faster due to his teleportation powers. After watching the exchange with Mr. L and the Koopas, he couldn't help but chuckle. These minions were so incompetent that they almost let Mr. L figure it out. They even left the door open!

Then again, that was the Count's problem, not his. Dimentio looked through the material on the table. He had to choose carefully; any that he didn't take would be destroyed. After thinking hard, he picked the best few resources. As soon as he touched them, they became invisible along with him. Dimentio grinned and left the room. He had to research Luigi if he wanted his plan to work.

* * *

Mr. L made sure to wake up bright and early the next morning. It was partly to get some work done, but also to make up for sleeping in the day before. He set his alarm for 7:30 and placed it on his writing desk on the other side of his room; that way, he would have to get up to press the Snooze button. When it went off, Mr. L got up and crossed the room, turned off the alarm, then started to get dressed. For some reason, he felt like brighter colors this morning. He chose a green shirt and jeans. (Of course, he still wore his mask.)

After getting dressed, he headed downstairs. He grabbed a quick mug of coffee and stepped outside to get started on his second build of Brobot. The night before, Nastasia mentioned that some smaller parts arrived. He could piece them together with what he had salvaged. When he came across the garage door, he entered the code. 6183. As the garage door slid open, Mr. L walked in, stretching along the way. He turned on the lights and went to the table where he left his blueprints. However, they weren't where he left them.

Mr. L furrowed his brows. "Huh? Who messed with my stuff?" His face grew sour at the thought of people messing up his work space. He clenched his fists and shouted, "I HAVE A SYSTEM, PEOPLE!"

"Looking for this, L?" A voice asked. Dimentio turned visible, holding the latest design for Brobot in his hands. "I love the design, by the way. Very unique."

Mr. L sighed. "Why am I not surprised?" To Dimentio, he said, "Would you quit doing that?"

Dimentio floated by his side. "Why? It's so much fun! Besides, do you not like it when I come and see you?"

"I don't mind you dropping in. I just don't like when you startle me like that." He walked closer to him and held his hand out. "May I have that back, please?"

"Well, since you asked nicely, here." Dimentio handed the blueprints back.

The man in green examined them, making sure that his friend hadn't ruined anything. Thankfully, he hadn't. He looked back up at him. "What are you doing in here?"

"I was waiting for you. I knew you'd come by here eventually, being the workaholic that you are."

Mr. L frowned. "That's nice. What'd you want to do, watch me work again?"

Dimentio shook his head. "No, I just wanted to talk."

"Okay..." He looked at his blueprints. Mr. L went to the table and tried to smooth them out. "I got some serious work to do though. Another time."

"But Mr. L, this simply cannot wait."

The Green Thunder smirked. "What? Entering in the freak show and need some advice?" He chuckled at his own joke. However, Dimentio wasn't laughing. He wore an unusual frown. For some reason, it was a bit unsettling. His smile faded. "Dimentio, I'm teasing."

"I don't like being toyed with, Mr. L," Dimentio said in a rather serious tone.

He blinked a few times, confused. "I'm...sorry? What is this about?"

"Put down the blueprints first."

Mr. L did so, then asked, "Did I tick you off or something?"

"No, no. This is just a serious matter is all. I need you to answer a question for me and answer honestly."

"Okay."

"Were you just messing around in the village or do you really like other men?"

Mr. L blinked a few times. He waited to hear more, but Dimentio was silent. "Wait... _That's_ what this is over!?"

The magician nodded. The man in green groaned. He knew that there were people in the world who were against two people of the same sex being together, but Dimentio didn't seem to mind yesterday. Why was he bringing that up now? "Yes. I like other men. Why? You got a problem with that?"

"No."

Mr. L turned away. "Good, because anyone who _does_ can answer to Brobot L-Type."

"Brobot...L-Type?"

"It's what I've been calling the future build of Brobot. It sounds more snazzy than Brobot 2 or something."

Dimentio's smile returned. "No, Mr. L. I wasn't asking because I'm offended by it or anything of the sort. I was just wanting to test the waters."

Mr. L turned back around, tilting his head. "Huh?'

"You see, even though I saw you enjoyed flirting with that other gentleman, I couldn't be positive. Some heterosexual men flirt with anyone, but are never serious about it," Dimentio explained. He said it in such a way that he sounded convinced this answered all of Mr. L's questions.

However, that couldn't be farther from the truth. It only raised more. "Okay...?" He walked to the end of the desk and reached for his screwdriver. "Why would you need to 'test the waters?'"

Dimentio came closer. Mr. L's eyes widened and he stepped back a bit. "I wanted to see how you would feel about this..." With that, he pushed him against the wall. Before Mr. L knew what was happening, Dimentio leaned forward and kissed him on the mouth. His eyes grew even wider.

The kiss lasted for a few long seconds. On one hand, it was sloppy and forced, but on the other, it felt nice. Dimentio's kiss was nice and warm and Mr. L felt like melting in his arms and...Wait, what!?

The man in green pushed his friend away. "W-What are you doing!?"

Dimentio chuckled. "I have to say, Mr. L, you've caught my eye. Your silver eyes are like the moon that the crying wolf howls under, your voice is rich like the finest chocolate, and you drip with snark and sarcasm. I'm a bit infatuated."

Mr. L blinked a few times. He never would've guessed this. Not in a million years. "So, you're saying...you love me?"

Dimentio shook his head. "Love and infatuation are two different things. Though in this case, maybe lust is the better word. I'm not sure. I haven't decided yet."

He narrowed his eyes. "Is this some kind of joke? Are you going to use this to out me or something? I haven't told anyone else..."

"I'm always deadly serious, Mr. L. Why would now be any different?" Dimentio asked. Mr. L started biting his lips again. Then it clicked. He was anxious. "I'm not trying to embarrass or humiliate you, if that's what you're wondering. I just assumed you were straight, so I kept quiet, but now I know that I have a chance with you after all."

The Green Thunder tried to speak, but his words came out jumbled. He sounded like a stuttering mess, unlike his usual confident self. Mr. L took a deep breath and started over. "I-I don't know if I'm comfortable with this..."

Dimentio put his hands on his face. "It's alright, darling. We don't have to rush."

Mr. L frowned. Darling. Such a sappy pet name. He stepped back, taking the jester's hands off of his face. "That's too close. And don't call me that."

"Why not?"

"Because...I don't know if I'm comfortable with you and me," He replied, pointing back and forth between them. "Don't get me wrong! You're a good friend and I've really appreciated your support lately, but...I just don't know if I feel the same."

The jester stroked his chin, pretending to think. Luckily, he thought ahead of time, so he already knew what to do. "Hmm...How about we work out a little deal then?"

"A deal?"

Dimentio nodded. "That's right. How about you let me do this, and in exchange, I can tell you a bit more about your past?"

Mr. L's eyes widened. "M-My past? But I don't have a past...

"Oh, sure you do. For example...Do you remember how you told that strapping cashier about Brooklyn?"

He shook his head. "That was just a random city that I picked out from the newspapers..."

"Think again. You were actually born and raised there. I would say that I'm impressed, but then again, you could have been drawn to it unconsciously."

Mr. L narrowed his eyes. "How do I know you're not making this up?"

Dimentio frowned. "Does it sound like I'm making this up?"

Mr. L let the idea sit there and supposed that it wasn't too absurd. While everyone else never heard of Brooklyn, Mr. L knew it well. He could see the city and smell it in his dreams. Plus, he didn't seem to have a family here. He had to have come from somewhere. "I-I guess not. But...If I was born in America, then how did I get here? In this world?"

"Oh, I don't know. I forgot. _Ciao!"_ The magician started to head for the door.

Mr. L hesitated before calling out, "Wait!"

Dimentio turned back around with an impish smile. "Yes?"

"How do you know who I was? I don't even know that..."

"Well, I could tell you, but where's the fun in that?"

He took a deep breath. He couldn't believe he was going to do this, but there was something that had been on his mind for a while. "Okay. I'll give you something, but you have to answer a question of mine. Deal?"

The magician raised an eyebrow, genuinely curious. "What is it?"

Mr. L walked up to him and planted a sweet kiss on his lips. He broke the kiss and looked down at the floor. Dimentio stared, surprised. He almost thought it was for real until Mr. L went on, "I assume you know who my real family is."

Dimentio nodded, his smile faltering. Why was he disappointed? "That's correct. But is that all you really have to offer for information like that?"

He shook his head. "No, no. I just want to know if they're okay. Or if they're even alive, that is."

Dimentio hesitated. He really did like Mr. L. Maybe he didn't love him, but he liked him. He could tell him that his family was dead so he would be more inclined to turn to them. Then again, that could damage his morale greatly. "They're alive."

Mr. L felt a weight lift from his shoulders. He sighed happily. _"Grazie Dio..."_ Then he remembered that Dimentio was still watching him. He cleared his throat and straightened his composure. "I mean, um...Thank you, Dimentio. I-I'll think about this..."

The jester grinned, satisfied. "I'll see you soon, darling. _Ciao!"_

Mr. L frowned. "I told you not to call me-"

Before he could finish his sentence, Dimentio teleported out of the room. He left the black outline of a square behind him.

Mr. L sighed and buried his face in his hands. He let out a loud groan. This wasn't supposed to happen. He wasn't supposed to get involved in romance. He was supposed to work on his brother, finish him, capture or destroy the heroes of Light, then forever be known as Count Bleck's top minion! However, literally none of those things were happening now and he had to deal with confused feelings to boot!

What had he gotten himself into?


	6. All Brain, No Brains

_It began with a party in a well-lit ballroom. People in elegant dresses and suits were dancing. He and Mario were standing in the center of it all, talking and joking with one another. The conversation was casual at first and muddled in the memory, but he could make out snippets of their talk._

_"...Such a stuffy party, for us?"_

_"Oh, come on, bro! Everyone dancing with pretty music? I love it! It means we're honorable!"_

_"I suppose."_

_That was when their friend Peach came. She and Mario slogged through more small talk before she said something that caught his attention. "_ _Do you two mind coming with me for a bit? There's someone I'd like you to meet."_

_Mario grinned, enthusiastic about meeting new people. "_ _Not at all! Come on..." Static._

_"Uh...Okay."_

_The princess led them to a girl in a yellow dress who was filling her cup with punch. She had long wavy brown hair. Peach tapped her shoulder. The brunette turned, smiling brightly. "_ _Hiya, Peach!" She gave her a hug. "I'm so glad you're alright."_

_The blonde grinned. "Of course I am. No one can keep me locked up forever."_

_The two laughed. Mario joined in. "_ _It's true. She may look sweet, but she's full of sass."_

_The girl in yellow raised an eyebrow. "Who are your friends, Peach?"_

_"Daisy, this is Mario and..." More static. "They're the ones who rescued me from Prince Bowser." She turned to Mario and the boy in green. "Boys, this is my cousin, Daisy. She's the Princess of Sarasaland."_

_"Hello there, Princess Daisy! It's nice to meet you!" The man in red greeted._

_Daisy curtsied. "It's nice to meet you as well. Thank you both so much for saving my cousin. So, where are you from? I don't think I've ever seen you two around here before!"_

_"Brooklyn," Mario replied._

_The princess looked confused. "Brooklyn?"_

_"New York. You know, America? Don't tell me you've never heard of it!"_

_She shook her head. "Nope. Can't say that I have."_

_"They're from another dimension," Peach explained._

_Daisy gasped. Her eyes lit up. "Another dimension!? Wow! That's so cool!"_

_The boy in green smiled, scratching the back of his head. "You really think so?_

_Just then, the music changed from an upbeat melody to a proper waltz. The four looked around and noticed people starting to dance. "I believe it's time for the traditional waltz," Peach explained._

_The boy in green nodded. "Ah, I see." He said that with a bit of a blush creeping onto his cheeks. He had a small crush on Peach at the time, but he never mentioned it to Mario. He didn't want to break his spirit._

_He was about to reach for Peach's hand when Mario grabbed it first. "_ _I call Peach!" With that, Mario ran off with the young princess._

_The boy in green frowned. "Mario, wait!"_

_He was about to follow them when the Sarasaland princess grabbed his hand. He turned, confused. The angel in the yellow dress smiled sweetly. "T_ _hey're not worth all the fuss. May I have this dance,_ _L̷̠̃ū̴̜̀i̴̥͠͝g̷̢̛̞ĭ̸̧?"_

* * *

"So...What's this game called again?"

"Zombies vs. Aliens 2! It's the video game of the year!"

Mr. L raised an eyebrow. He was currently sitting on Mimi's pink bed. Her gaming system was all set up and had the "video game of the year" running. Mimi held the Player 1 controller while he was stuck being Player 2. After getting a surprisingly decent amount of work done, Mr. L took a nap and had another bizarre dream. He decided to take his mind off of it and the morning's events by playing co-op with Mimi. Once that got boring, she suggested this game.

"The video game of the year, huh? What's it rated?"

"It's rated M for a bit of gore involved."

He couldn't help but show a small smile. "Really? I didn't think you were into this kinda stuff."

She shrugged. "Yeah, everyone sees me as some kinda daffodil when we first meet, but I do like some blood and guts every now and then."

"Does that include horror?"

"Eh...Depends. I hate jump scares."

Mr. L turned to the TV screen. "Well, we're at least halfway there."

"Okay, I'm the zombies!"

"Alright, I'm taking the aliens then. I have an advantage because I've actually been to space."

Mimi rolled her eyes. "Yeah right. Like I actually have to be undead to play as freaking zombies."

The two customized their weapons and forts before starting the game. There was a corny intro where the aliens were destroying humankind in their spaceships. However, as a result of the toxic chemicals used, the humans re-emerged as zombies. Thus, an intergalactic war began between both sides. All of this apparently started 1,000 years ago.

"1,000 years? And one side is still standing?" Mr. L asked.

"Shh! The battle's starting!"

With that, their characters began to brawl while smaller enemies dueled in the background. Mimi was fully submerged into the game world, but Mr. L still had his thoughts on that day. _Usually, this is the kind of stupid distraction that keeps my mind occupied, but I can't help but think back to that morning. Me and Dimentio...The more I think about it, the less disturbed it makes me feel. He's always trying to mess with me...Can that be because he likes me?_

"...Believe I already have this figured out. You're so going down!" Mimi shouted.

"Uh-huh. Keep telling yourself that." _Then again, there was that girl I've been seeing in my dreams lately. She was so beautiful, like an angel. Still, I don't know if she was even real. These dreams feel so surreal when I wake up._

Mimi mashed the buttons on her controller. "Come on, come on..."

Mr. L sighed. _This is so stupid. I feel like a naive little schoolboy._

"Yes! 6,000 points ahead!"

The man in green looked towards his friend. _What about Mimi? Is she even going to accept me? What if someone here is homophobic or something? I mean, they don't seem like that kind of people, but I can't be certain. Ugh...I hate worrying about this. I wish I could just go back to pounding those heroes in. At least I know they're supposed to hate me._

As the zombie dismantled the alien ship and ate the creature's brains, a game over screen announced Mimi as the winner. She cheered. "Woo! High score!"

Mr. L, who was only half-paying attention, looked at her with a confused look on his face. "...Hmm?" He turned to the TV and saw that she won the round. "Oh, yeah. Nice job." Mimi furrowed her brows. She looked at him strangely, as if he had a second head growing. Unsure of what to do, Mr. L raised his fist. "Uh...Woo?"

"Are you...Congratulating me? Without even one snarky comment?"

"Yeah? What's the big deal? I just told you you did a nice job."

"Yeah, but I just beat you and broke your high score," She said, gesturing to the TV. "Why aren't you protesting or at least sulking?"

Mr. L shrugged. "I've only played this game once before. That high score isn't super important to me." He sighed. "I don't know. I just have a lot on my mind is all."

Mimi put down the controller. "Like what?"

He hesitated. "Well...Something happened this morning. I'm pretty sure you and everyone else were asleep."

"What was it?"

Mr. L frowned. "I can't tell you. You're going to blow it out of proportion."

Mimi pouted. "No, I won't! I promise."

The man in green sighed. "Okay. I found out recently that someone here is crushing on me..." Mimi's eyes widened. "And I may or may not like them back. I'm not sure."

The girl gasped. "What!? Really!?" She grabbed both of his hands. "L, this is a big deal!"

He frowned. "See?"

Mimi glared. "I am not blowing this out of proportion!"

"Yes you are. Now I regret telling you."

Mimi tilted her head innocently. "Why?"

"Because the minute I tell you who it is, you're going to run over to them and give them some pep talk about romance and going for it."

The spider grinned, twirling loose strands of hair with her finger. "I won't. I guarantee that. So, who is it?"

Mr. L stared at the floor. "Before I tell you, you should know that..." He sighed. "It's a guy."

There were a few seconds of silence. "Oh." Mimi's eyes widened. "Wait, what!? Someone has a gay crush on you?"

Still refusing to look at her, he muttered, "Well, um...I'm not exactly straight either."

She was quiet. Mr. L took a deep breath and looked Mimi in the eye. "I like guys as well as-"

"Wait. So...You're gay?"

He felt his eye twitch. "No, I'm not gay."

Mimi smiled sweetly. "I don't mind if you are. I've always wanted a gay best friend. Although this isn't exactly how I planned things to go between us..."

_Well, at least she's not homophobic._ "I'm bisexual."

She tilted her head. "Bi-sexual?" She placed emphasis on the first part of the word.

"I like guys as well as girls."

Mimi blinked a few times. "That's a thing?" Mr. L nodded. "Are you sure this isn't some kind of transitioning phase or something?"

He frowned. "I'm pretty sure it isn't."

"Well...Okay," The spider smiled. "But if you aren't going to tell me who it is, can you at least tell me a bit about him? It will help me get straight Mr. L out of my head."

The Green Thunder laughed. "Okay. He's someone we know. We see him every day. He likes messing with me, but...he's also really captivating. And elegant. And smart too."

"The Count likes you!?"

Mr. L's eyes widened. "What? No!" He shook his head. "That's gross! He's like...fifteen years older than me!"

She let out a sigh of relief. "Okay, good. Hmm...O'Chunks isn't the brightest tool in the shed and probably would've spilled the beans by now."

"You're getting closer."

Her eyes lit up with a new idea. "Ooh! Ooh! Is it that one goomba that you've been giving a hard time?"

"No!" Mr. L sighed, defeated. "It's Dimentio, alright? Dimentio likes me."

Mr. L waited for her big reaction, but got none. Instead, Mimi blinked a few times. "Huh. You know, for some reason, that doesn't surprise me very much. He was kinda flirting with you at dinner. You didn't notice?

He furrowed his brows. "No. What do you mean by that?"

"He was all like..." Mimi turned into an exact copy of Dimentio. When she spoke, she even sounded like the crazed magician. "Oh, Mr. L, you are so amazing! Why don't we go spend some one-on-one time together? You know...dinner, dancing, a trip to the moon! And you were all like..."

Next, Mimi changed into Mr. L. Unlike when she was impersonating Dimentio, she appeared apathetic. She shrugged. "Meh. I guess."

Mr. L laughed. He had to admit her impersonation of him was pretty solid. "I guess I was too preoccupied with working on my bro."

The copy of him smirked. "So, what are you gonna do about it?"

"I don't know. I mean, part of me thinks that this isn't genuine. That he's just waiting for me to give in so he could laugh and say he fooled me. The rest of me wants it to be. I mean, I've never had a boyfriend. At least, not that I remember..." He let out another deep sigh. "Amnesia fucking sucks, Mimi."

Mimi frowned and changed back into herself. "Hey, watch your language! The Count hates cursing!"

"Well, he's not here, is he?"

She sighed. "I guess not. Anyway, if you're curious, why don't you give him a chance? Besides, if it doesn't work, I'm sure that you could have any girl you want. You're pretty cute. And even if he is trying to embarrass you, we can get him back. I've been planning a revenge plot ever since he started quoting my diary yesterday."

"I suppose you're right. Maybe I could give him a small chance. But...do you think the Count would kick me out?"

"For being gay?" She stopped herself. "I mean...bi? No way! I know a couple of the Koopa King's former minions who swing the other way. The Count mentioned he doesn't care what they like, as long as they're efficient."

Mr. L felt a weight lift off his shoulders. Smiling, he got off of the bed and put down the controller. "Thanks for your advice. I'm gonna go talk to him."

Mimi switched the game to single mode. "Hey, no problem. That's what girlfriends are for. I mean, friends that are girls. You know what I mean."

"Yeah." Mr. L left the room. "L-ater!"

He was feeling good about talking to Dimentio until he came across the Count and Nastasia in the hallway. "...Then again, Count Bleck didn't explicitly say that O'Chunks had to go alone."

The assistant frowned. "This wasn't his mission though! If he had permission, one of us would've told him so!" Nastasia sighed. "I'll be sure to punish him when he gets back."

The man in green stopped, suddenly feeling worried. "Hey, have either of you seen Dimentio?"

Count Bleck sighed. "He's just the trouble..."

Mr. L furrowed his brows. "What do you mean?"

Nastasia handed him a piece of paper. "He left this note on his bed."

He took it and read the message aloud. " _I hate to do this on such a short notice, but I had a feeling O'Chunks would need some help. So I left. I expect to be back when we return with the heroes, like a swift lioness with its prey. Ciao. Dimentio."_ Mr. L put down the letter. "You've got to be kidding me."

* * *

Mario frowned as he made his way through the village of Crag. While the others were thinking about the Floro Sapiens and kidnapped villagers, Mario had his mind on two people in particular. One of which was that mysterious man he fought in space. His silver eyes pierced through him, as if he knew every movement and trick that Mario had up his sleeve.

The other was, of course, Luigi. It had been months since Mario had last seen his brother. He still remembered that first day when they were told that Peach was kidnapped. That wasn't unusual, but going this long without his Player 2 was. He could hear Luigi's determined voice in his head. _I won't stand for this! We'll have to go to his castle and rescue Princess Peach! Let's go, bro!_

_Oh, Luigi. I hope that you're safe, wherever you are._

"Hey, Mario? Are you alright?" Peach asked. "I can't help but notice you've been quiet."

"Oh, like that's unusual for Mario!" Bowser snarled.

Peach frowned. "I mean, quieter than usual."

"Oh...I just can't stop thinking about that guy we fought in the Whoa Zone. What was his name?"

Bowser didn't give it much thought. "Already forgot. Come on. Let's get going."

Peach narrowed her eyes. "Bowser."

The koopa grumbled and slowed down, but still lead the group at a steady pace.

"You mean Mr. L?" Tippi asked.

Mario nodded. "Yeah...He looked familiar."

"I thought so too," Peach agreed. "He kind of looked like someone we know."

"Like...Luigi. He even sounded like him."

"Luigi?" Tippi wondered.

"He's my younger brother. Well, technically he's my twin because I'm only five minutes older than him," Mario explained. "I haven't seen him since this mess began." The man in red looked to the other two heroes. "What about you? Have either of you seen him?'

Peach and Bowser shook their heads. The former said, "Not since the wedding." The princess's eyes widened as a realization struck her. "You don't think that man was...?"

For a moment, everything was still. Mario stopped walking, the thought striking him like a slap to the face. Luigi and Mr. L had the same face, same voice, same movements. Could his kind little brother be hiding somewhere beneath all the harsh tones and sarcasm?

Then he remembered the eyes. Silver. Sky blue. They were both so different. There was no way they could be the same.

Mario shook his head. "It's possible they kidnapped him, but there's no way my brother would do those things. He doesn't know how to build machines and he would never hurt me like that. Not ever."

"It's possible that they found a guy who looked like Luigi and trained him to fight us," Bowser muttered. "I've had Magikoopas disguise as my enemy's loved ones to reel them in. Either that, or it could be that spider girl you told me about, but posing as a Luigi look-alike to trick you."

Mario stroked his chin. "Well...maybe..."

"Showed up at last, did yeh?" A voice said. O'Chunks leaped down from the sky. "GRA-BLAGHY! I've not been made teh wait like this since that fine lass stood me up long, long ago! Yeh did this to break my concentration, didn't yeh? Yeh likes the cheatin', eh? Sorry teh disappoint yeh! Yeh think I'd fall for a bush-league move like that!?"

Tippi sighed. "Oh, I'm afraid this fellow is terribly misguided..."

O'Chunks growled. "Bargle-fargle! 'Misguided?' That's not even a real word, yeh squishy bug! Quit yer yappin' now! It's time fer us to settle this once an' fer all!"

Bowser rolled his eyes. "Hey, O'Fatty! Take it easy! You're gonna blow our your beard, pal. Seriously. Listen, babbling is not gonna save you. You need stomping. And I'm a stompologist!"

The Scotsman furrowed his thick brows. "A stomp-'EY! SHUT IT! Don't yeh go tryin' to be witter than me, yeh frog! YEH MUST PAY!"

"Salutations, O'Chunks!" A new voice said. Within a few seconds, Dimentio appeared with his usual devious smile.

The koopa king blinked a few times. "Hey, aren't you-?"

Mario frowned. "Dimentio..."

"Ah, once again we meet, like two angry, burly dinosaurs with terrible indigestion!"

O'Chunks turned with annoyance. "What d'yeh want, Dimentio!? I don't be needin' any help! Yeh'll just get in the way!"

"Ah, a quadrillion pardons!" Dimentio said with a bow. "Far be it from me to be a hindrance! Far, far be it! As it happens, I merely have an acquaintance in this land! I was just saying hello!" Then again, one of the lead Floro Sapiens wasn't much of an acquaintance. Not that it mattered anyway.

"Saying hello, eh?"

Dimentio nodded. "Yes, truly! And I saw you, and I thought, 'Perhaps my magic can aid in this fight!'" With that, Dimentio transported his supposed friend and the heroes to Dimension D, knowing very well who would win. He chuckled. "Ah, rest assured, I'll hardly be underfoot! You fight to your heart's content! _Ciao!_ " The magician made it appear that he left, but he only turned himself invisible. He didn't want to miss this.

O'Chunks laughed. "Wuh...That doesn't sound too bad, I guess. Maybe I misunderstood that weirdo. Well, anyway, you lot are in fer it now! Meet the new-an'-improved O'Chunks!" The typical fight ensued. O'Chunks tired to grab Mario first, but Bowser got in the way with his fire. The Scotsman quickly turned his attention to the latter. He growled. "I'll make koopa broth outta yeh, yeh smart-mouthed turtle!"

The koopa king laughed. "How original! Alright, why don't you come and try!?"

O'Chunks ran towards him. Bowser deflected most of his attacks with a new Pixl that created sharp barriers. Though O'Chunks moaned with pain when he was hit with them, they hardly stopped him. Their damage couldn't amount to much. "Is that all yeh got, wee froggie?"

"Trust me; you haven't seen the worst of it yet!"

"Now, Bowser," Mario began. "You should be-"

The koopa king jerked his head towards him. "Don't tell me what to do, plumber! I've got this!"

Bowser tried to use the barrier Pixl again, but missed the timing. O'Chunks pushed Bowser, who slammed to the ground. The Scotsman grabbed his legs and spun him around. When he let go, Bowser bounced all over the walls. Dimentio created a force field around himself. Peach pulled out her parasol and made Mario take cover with her.

The ferocious king groaned when he hit the floor. Peach put her parasol back and sighed. Mario frowned. "...Careful."

"Hey, shut up! It was your fault! You messed up my timing!"

O'Chunks laughed and turned his attention to Mario. "What's that, Maria? Ready for a round two, I see!" With that, he charged towards him. Peach got in the way, leaping on his head with the sharp bottoms of her heels. O'Chunks cried out.

Mario used this opportunity to present the hand-shaped Pixl. "Go for it, Thoreau!"

"With pleasure, hero!" Thoreau grabbed O'Chunks, lifting him into the air and throwing him to the ground. He landed with a heavy _THUD!_ O'Chunks moaned and Mario stomped on his head.

The Scotsman glared. "Alright, lads and lass! Yer in fer it now!"

Bowser came forward and blew fire in his direction, sending scorching flames. O'Chunks yelped and leaped into the air in a comedic fashion, nearly crashing into the ceiling. The koopa king huffed. "I thought I told that green pipsqueak of yours already; _I'm_ the only one who gets to mess with Mario!"

For a moment, O'Chunks forgot about the pain. "Green pipsqueak? Yeh mean-?" Taking advantage of the distraction, Bowser stomped on his head two more times.

With that, O'Chunks crashed to the ground, tired and defeated. "BLARGH IT ALL! Bad enough that yeh beat me once, but twice is too much teh bear! How can I show me face teh the count now, eh? I CAN'T! Put me out o' me misery!"

Bowser laughed. "Good idea!"

Peach frowned. "Bowser."

"What?" He said with a shrug.

"Get on with it! I'm serious! I have no regrets." He hesitated. "Well...No...Perhaps I do regret not confessin' me love teh that sweet lass..." Nastasia. How he loved her, despite her being oblivious to his feelings. Then again, maybe she would already know if it weren't for her infatuation with the Count.

O'Chunks shook his head in anger. "BUT NO! That's no way fer a brave warrior teh talk when 'is time comes 'round at last! So...Do it! Now! Now! Finish me! End me game!"

Just then, Dimentio made himself visible again. "Well, salutations, O'Chunks! How are things, hmm?"

O'Chunks frowned. "D-Dimentio! Look, honestly, this is kind o' important! How 'bout some privacy, eh?"

Dimentio smirked. "Yes, yes, of course. I understand. Your honor must be satisfied. But, O'Chunks...Before you let your game be over, humor poor little me for a bit. I have something I rather think you'll enjoy. I _do_ wish you would try it out for me." He knew he was being crude, especially since O'Chunks was suicidal at the moment, but he needed a test subject for the floro sprout. If Mr. L chose not to join him, he couldn't try it on him and get failed results.

"YEH CRAZED LOON! It's not the time fer-"

"Oh, it's not the time, hmm? Not the time for something that will aid Count Bleck?"

The Scotsman frowned and stroked his chin. "Oh...Fer the count, eh? Well, that do change a thing or two. Hmmm...Fine then!" He turned to the heroes. "You lot! Yeh took enough of a beatin' fer today, so I'll let you off easy-like! I tell you this, though: yeh better work on yer skills by the next time we meet!'

"Wait, what about all that drivel about not showing your face to the Count and such?" Tippi asked.

"'EY! SHUT IT! I live fer the count! I couldn't end me game without 'is say-so! Me heart is weak, sure, so I'm done with it! From now on, I'm all brawn, no brain! The past be nothin' teh me! All that matters is Count Bleck's future! All fer 'im! Chunks away!"

With that, he launched into the sky using his classic...fart technique. The others stared with confusion.

Dimentio laughed. "Ah, it is time to part... _Ciao!"_ With that, he teleported away.

"Man...What a crybaby!" Bowser muttered.

Meanwhile, deep in the underground of the village, Dimentio appeared. He looked around, then sighed. After snapping his fingers, O'Chunks appeared almost out of nowhere, smacking his head into the dirt ceiling. "OW! What teh-?

"Hello, O'Chunks. Glad you could make it."

The Scotsman looked around, then frowned. "What? We're tryin' your thingamajig now?"

"But of course! That is...Unless you don't want to help the Count."

The muscle man shook his head. "No, Dimentio! I do want teh help the Count! I just...uh...thought we were going back first."

The magician shook his head. "Don't be silly. Time is of the essence." As true as that statement was, Dimentio almost wished they could head back first. Mr. L had to have been waiting for him. Either that, or he was repulsed by the jester's bold behavior. If so, he couldn't blame him. He...

Dimentio wanted to hit himself. What did it matter what Mr. L thought? He was a component to this plan, yes, but nothing more. It didn't matter how either of them felt. "Now, we'll just have to meet with a friend of mine and you can get another chance with those wretched heroes. Follow me, my friend."

Uncertain and somewhat apprehensive, O'Chunks followed Dimentio through the underground tunnels.


	7. Roses and Sprouts

After at least an hour of walking through the underground tunnels, O'Chunks started to get impatient. "How much longer teh go, Dimentio?"

"We're almost there." He grinned upon seeing a green warp pipe. "Ah, here we are. All we have to do is go down the-"

"Aberdeen butteries! How am I s'pposed teh fit down there!?

Dimentio frowned. "Ah, that's right. You are rather...big-boned. Well, I'll teleport you. Wait here for a second." After going down the warp pipe, Dimentio twirled his finger and shot a burst of magic. O'Chunks appeared at his side. Dimentio nodded, satisfied, and stroked his chin. "Hmm...He said that he'd meet us here."

O'Chunks looked around. "So, if yeh don't mind me askin'...who's we meeting?"

"His name is Jarred. He's one of the head Floro Sapiens. He's also in charge of distributing strength-enhancers for the workers down here."

The Scotsman let that sink in. He grinned. "Strength-enhancing, ey? I like teh sound o' that!"

Dimentio chuckled. He neglected to mention that the workers were actually Cragnon slaves and the "strength-enhancer" would mostly make O'Chunks a vegetable. Then again, the floro sprout may have some strength-enhancing qualities. Dimentio wasn't sure. That was why he had to test it out.

Just then, a floro sapien popped out of the tube Dimentio that just used. He had purple petals and a plain black face. He looked around, waiting for someone.

Dimentio grinned. "I believe there's our man now."

The jester went up to the floro sapien. The flower creature nodded at them, but he had suspicion written all over his face. "Hello. Who are you?"

Dimentio bowed. "Hello, Jarred."

The floro sapien jumped. "How do you know my name?"

The magician floated to his side. "Well, Jarred, I wish I could say, but the pollution is corrupting our water."

Jarred's face lit up, as if a light bulb switched on in his head. That was the key phrase he planted in his mind. "Ah, Dimentio. We've been expecting you. Remind me what you do for King Crocus?"

Dimentio chuckled. It was easy to make these creatures think he belonged here. All he had to do was cast a few spells and he was in. "I am one of his new hires. He instructed me to pick up a delivery of floro sprouts for the...workers down here."

Jarred glanced at O'Chunks. "And who are you supposed to be?"

The warrior frowned, somewhat offended. "O'Chunks is me name. I'm with him."

"He is my right hand man," Dimentio explained. "So, can you show me where you keep the floro sprouts?"

Jarred nodded. "They're right this way. Follow me."

After leading him to the king's palace, they went into a special room. The room had white walls and gray tiled flooring. One wall had a whiteboard with complex equations written on it while the rest of the walls were covered in cabinets. In the back of the room, there was a table with some test tubes on it. There were also many chemicals as well as a box on the table. Jarred grabbed the box and handed it to Dimentio. "Here you are. 10 floro sprouts. Be sure to use them wisely. These things aren't easy to make."

"Thank you, Jarred," Dimentio said.

"No problem. If you don't mind me asking...How long have you worked for the king? I haven't seen you around here."

"Oh, not long."

Jarred frowned. The suspicion was coming back. "Really?"

_Oh dear. My magic must be wearing off._ _I must leave while I still have the chance._ "Well, I wish I could stay and chat, but I really have to get going. _Ciao_ , Jarred!"

"Wait a minute. I'm not-"

Before he could finish, Dimentio and O'Chunks were gone with the floro sprouts. O'Chunks grinned. "Well, t'was shorter than I thought."

"See? You have to trust me. I've always believed that trust is the glue that holds us fragile beings together."

"I guess yer right. Come on."

The two continued on their path. Halfway through, Dimentio kept thinking back to Mr. L. The jester sighed in frustration. Just when he thought that that damn mechanic was out of his head, he came back with twice the force. The magician pondered what to do. He could survive being away from him awhile longer, or...

O'Chunks turned to Dimentio. "Somethin' on yer mind?"

Dimentio spoke without thinking. "There's some matters I must attend to back at the castle."

His eyes widened. "Wait...What? How am I s'pposed teh know where teh go if yer not here!?

Dimentio snapped his fingers and a map of the cavern materialized. He handed it to O'Chunks. "Here's a map."

"I don't understand this one bit!"

Dimentio sighed and pointed to the red circle on the map. "We're here," He pointed towards the X. "We want to go there. Just follow the benchmarks here and you should be fine."

"When will yeh be back?"

"In a moment. Don't you worry your little head about it."

O'Chunks hesitated. "Can yeh at least tell me what yeh have teh do?"

"I need to..." The magician paused to think. "To talk to the Count. He will want a report on how things are progressing. He's trusting me to be there and you to make your way through this maze, though I use that term quite loosely. Can you do that?"

The determination from earlier came back. O'Chunks grinned. "Fer teh Count? Anything."

Dimentio nodded. "Good man. I'll return soon, like a frost-covered rose after a long winter's end. _Ciao!"_ He snapped his fingers and teleported back to the castle, leaving O'Chunks alone with the map.

* * *

Dimentio teleported to a window on the fourth floor of the castle. Using his magic to float, the magician peered inside and smiled at what he saw. Mr. L was reading a book in bed. He was obviously thinking hard; he had a crease in his forehead and was chewing his lips again.

The jester chuckled and decided to surprise him. He opened the window and floated inside. "Hello, L."

Mr. L didn't look up at first. "Hey, Dimentio." A few seconds later, his eyes nearly popped out of his sockets. He put down his book and stood, inching back towards the wall. "D-Dimentio!?

"Yes. It is I, appearing like a rabbit pulled out of the magician's hat. How are you, darling?"

"I, uh..." Mr. L shook his head. "How long have you been back?"

"Only a few minutes."

A small smile crept onto his face. "You know that Nastasia is gonna come in here and yell at you any minute now, right?"

Dimentio appeared by his side. "Nastasia doesn't have to know I'm here."

Mr. L looked around. "Where's O'Chunks? Isn't he with you?"

"He's with the heroes. I promised that I would help him in his next duel if he agreed to try something out for me."

The man in green smirked. "Oh yeah? And what is that something?"

The jester chuckled and poked his large, round nose. "That is for me to know and you to find out. Stop asking so many questions. I don't have long here, and I want to spend as much time with you as I can."

He raised an eyebrow. "If you're gonna go back to O'Chunks anyway, then why bother coming back here and risk punishment?"

"I wanted to see you. Besides, I'm not too worried about Nastasia. Give her some time to cool down and she'll let me off the hook. Come on. Get dressed."

"Where are we going?"

"Somewhere with just the two of us."

Mr. L chuckled. "Is this your way of asking me out?"

Dimentio grinned. "You caught me."

The Green Thunder looked to the side. "I don't know. It is getting pretty late."

"Please? If you want, I can tell you a bit more about your past."

The man in green thought about it. "This is a bit sudden, but...alright. Just give me some time to change."

After Mr. L put on a black shirt and a pair of worn down jeans, Dimentio grabbed his hands. "Good. Now, close your eyes." Mr. L shut his eyes. Dimentio teleported him to Dimension D. "Now open them."

He did so, looking around. "What is this place?"

"Well, I like to call it Dimension D, but it can be wherever you want it to be." Suddenly, the room changed into a familiar black room with white platforms. The meeting room. However, before Mr. L had time to process it, the room changed into the Whoa Zone. Next, it was pure white with nothing filling the empty space. After that, it returned to the default green room. All of this happened in five seconds at most. "So...where would you like to go?"

The mechanic stroked his chin. "Hmm...I'm not sure. I haven't really thought about that."

Dimentio moved closer to him. "Do you mind if I read your memories?"

Mr. L's eyes widened. "W-What? You mean...like mind-reading!?

"Not quite. Mind-reading is reading your present thoughts. This is different. I'm just taking a quick peek into your subconscious to see what you would like most."

He hesitated. "Will it hurt?"

"You won't feel a thing, and it will only last for a few seconds."

Mr. L sighed. "Okay...but if you bring up any of my secrets, I will personally beat the living shit out of you."

"Seems reasonable." The magician closed his eyes and placed his hand on the other man's forehead. As soon as he did so, his hand began to glow bright green. Dimentio saw a vision of an elegant ballroom. There was a girl in a yellow dress there, but Dimentio would leave that part out. He grinned, then took his hand off of his forehead. "Alright, close your eyes again." Mr. L hesitated, but did as he was asked. The magician changed the green room to look like the one he saw in his vision. "Now open them."

Mr. L opened his eyes and gasped. They were currently standing in the center of the ballroom. Shadows were moving all around them, their silhouettes dark and yet slightly transparent at the same time.

Dimentio floated to his side. "Well?"

The man in green looked down at himself. He was now dressed in a black tuxedo and a green bowtie. "This place..." He whispered. Looking back up at Dimentio, he continued, "It's straight from one of my dreams."

Dimentio grinned and snapped his fingers. _POOF!_ He disappeared behind a cloud of dust. Mr. L coughed. When the smoke cleared, Dimentio looked different...And yet the same. He was in a more humanized form, but had the same aura as usual. His hair was dark on one side and white on the other. His face was also covered by his typical mask. The dark hair was on the white side of his mask and vice versa. Dimentio also wore a violet tuxedo and a black bowtie.

Mr. L stepped back. "W-What!? Since when did you have the power to transform!?"

The magician laughed. "Relax, Mr. L. This form is an illusion, as is the rest of this place. It's not like our dear Mimi's transformation powers. This is only temporary. Besides, I can only do so much with magic while Mimi can be anyone she wants. This only makes things easier for us."

"I see..."

Dimentio held his hand out. "May I have this dance, Mr. L?" The man in green shuddered. He stepped back, hesitating. The jester grinned. "What's the matter? Is the great Green Thunder going sensible on me?"

After a moment of silence, he shook his head. "Of course not." Mr. L took Dimentio's hand. The two started out by doing a slow waltz together. "So, why did you bring me here? Of all places?"

"I thought we needed a chance to establish a connection. Don't ask me why we're here; you picked the place."

The man in green chuckled. "Well...earlier today, Mimi mentioned dinner, dancing, and the moon. We at least got the second part down."

Dimentio smirked. "Yes, indeed. So, have you thought about our deal any further?"

Mr. L nodded. "I have, actually."

"And Mimi knows about us."

"Yes, I told her how you feel about me. She said she always wanted a gay best friend," Mr. L said with a frown. He sighed before continuing. "So, _then_ I had to explain to her what bisexuality was and...you know what? Doesn't matter. The point is that she thinks we're a couple now."

"Understandable. That's what most would assume anyway."

"I suppose." Mr. L took a deep breath. "I've thought about it and I've decided to take you up on your offer. I will provide whatever you ask of me, as long as you provide information in return."

The magician smiled, nodding. "Good. I knew you would. You come across as a strategic young fellow."

"Strategic, huh?"

"You think before doing, at least most of the time."

The man in green nodded and got closer to Dimentio. The jester grabbed his hands and guided him through the small steps, making sure to keep his arm around him. After that, Dimentio took a break to twirl Mr. L around.

Once he brought him closer to him, Mr. L added, "Of course, I do have my limits and I expect an equal amount of information in return. For example, I'm not going to sleep with you just so I can learn what my best friend's name was in kindergarten. I want relevant information." After a few seconds, he blushed, realizing what he just implied. "It's not like I'll sleep with you anyway, but...you know.."

Dimentio laughed. "You're so adorable."

Mr. L frowned. "Dimentio, be honest. Are you trying to mess with me?"

"I already told you I'm not."

"I'm not quite sure I believe you."

"Is that right? Well, does this prove my love for you?" With that, he kissed him on the mouth. It was more gentle than last time.

After the kiss, Mr. L stepped back. He was blushing even more than he was before. "Y-You owe me for that..."

The magician laughed. "It's interesting. One second, you're telling me you'd take the fair Princess Peach on a date if you had the chance. However, the second I mention how I feel about you, you hesitate."

"Well, I prefer women, so naturally I would be more quick to go out with one."

"That's your excuse? Alright then."

He glared. "It's not an excuse!"

"Whatever you say, L."

Mr. L pouted. "So...I'm giving you a dance. What information do you have to offer me in return?"

"Well, that depends. What do you want to know?"

He shrugged. "Who I am, I guess."

"You are Mr. L," Dimentio replied.

The Green Thunder glared. "I know that!" After a few seconds, he hesitated. "Well, actually, I don't even know if that's true. Is it?"

Dimentio twirled him around again. "That depends on how you look at it. On one hand, you are, and on the other, you're not."

"Stop being cryptic. Do I have a name? Or a family? Or anything?"

He brought him down in a dip. It looked like Dimentio was about to kiss him, but he didn't make any further movements. Instead, he held his chin up and whispered, "I'll give you a hint. Your name starts with the letter L."

After being brought back up, Mr. L muttered, "I could've figured that out." He shook his head. "Alright...what kind of family do I have? Are my parents okay? Or was I raised by a single parent? Or was I adopted? Am I an orphan? Do I have siblings?"

Dimentio chuckled. "Wait your turn. Hmm...parents and siblings. Well, let me set the scene for you."

Suddenly, he covered Mr. L's eyes with his hand. He cried out. "H-Hey! What are you-?"

_A small family. A man and a woman. Two sons. All in a prominent neighborhood._ The jester nodded and took his hands off. He needed to get a sample of his memories to make this look right.

With a wave of his hand, a forest green silhouette of a boy appeared. "Picture a young boy in green. He lives in Brooklyn, New York, with his parents and brother." He made more silhouettes. One of them was another boy, only his silhouette was bright red. The other two were a man and woman. The man's silhouette came in crimson while the woman was spring green. Mr. L was partially hypnotized by their captivating auras: so warm and familiar, yet so far.

Dimentio explained the silhouettes. "His family is poor, so both parents have to work. Their father, Marco, is a plumber and carpenter. Most remember him for his kind smile and enthusiasm. Only his wife and a select few know who he really is: a dreamer, adventurer, and writer who once visited another dimension."

"This dimension?"

"No, but a nearby one. The Mushroom Kingdom, to be exact." The magician turned his attention to the woman. "Their mother, Lilian, is a waitress at a local restaurant who dreams of having her own pizzeria. She is a lovely young thing. She's American, but she speaks Italian as well. Marco is native Italian."

"...And the brother?"

"A loud, bright adventurer, like his father. We shall call him the boy in red. The boy in green takes after his mother, shy and sweet. Despite their clashing personalities, the two siblings are inseparable."

Mr. L nodded. Yes, all of this sounded right. "And what's his name?"

Dimentio hesitated. "I can't tell you that either."

The man in green frowned. As he jerked towards Dimentio, the silhouettes disappeared. "Why are you holding back? We had a deal, didn't we!?"

"There's only so much I can tell you." _That is, without breaking Nastasia's hypnotism completely._

Mr. L pouted and crossed his arms. "There's a lot you're keeping from me."

Dimentio sighed. He pulled Mr. L closer to him and tried to make him look at him. He kept his head in another direction stubbornly. Dimentio went back to leading him in a waltz. "I'm being generous as it is, my dear. Also, this bit is not well known, but the boys were born out of wedlock."

He frowned. "So I'm a bastard. Great."

"Worry not. Marco and Lillian married shortly after having their sons."

Mr. L hesitated. "Are they both alive?"

"Yes."

"And my brother?"

Dimentio didn't hesitate. "Most definitely alive."

Though there wasn't much doubt left in Mr. L's mind, he muttered, "I hope you're not lying."

Dimentio chuckled. "To you? Never." He leaned forward and gave him another sweet kiss.

The man in green bit his lip again. "Why do you like me so much?"

"That's an easy one." The magician gave him one last twirl. "I know who you really are. You have the heart of a Nimbi and the spirit of an adventurer. You are determined, humble, and kind. You sometimes feel severely underrated, and I suppose this has translated into over confidence now."

He brought Mr. L closer again and the two stared face to face. Mr. L glanced down. "Who I really am..." He drifted off, closing his eyes.

When he opened them again, Dimentio gasped. No, no, no. It was too soon for those eyes. Those painfully blue eyes.

He blinked a few times. He stared at his dance partner with confusion and traces of fear. "Who...?"

Without thinking, Dimentio leaned forward and kissed him hastily. Stepping back, he waited. The man in green blinked a few times. He rubbed his head, silver eyes gleaming in confusion. "What happened?" Mr. L asked.

Dimentio forced a smile. "Oh, nothing. Just taking my payment." _Dear, Jaydes. That was Luigi just now, wasn't it? I wanted to tease him, not bring him back!_ _I need to be careful..._

Mr. L shook his head, smiling apologetically. Even though his eyes were back to normal, Dimentio still saw Luigi staring back at him. "I'm sorry...I don't really remember what you were saying just now. Could you please repeat it?"

That was too polite to be Mr. L, at least a hundred percent. The jester grabbed his hands. "Perhaps it's time we get going, then."

With those simple words, the illusion faded. Dimentio turned back into his normal self. Dimension D stood in its place. Mr. L looked around, worry in his eyes. "What? But...I..."

"Don't worry. We will surely return sometime, but for now, you need to get to bed and I need to go back to O'Chunks."

The man in green hesitated. "Will you be gone long?"

Dimentio shook his head. "No. Now come on." He took his hands gently and teleported back to Mr. L's room. The latter looked around, disappointed at his plain surroundings, but didn't say anything.

"Get a good night's sleep, alright? Don't worry about me. I shall return quickly, like a-"

"Wait!" Mr. L shouted, louder than he intended. He stared at the floor and lowered his voice. "Before you go...I want proof this actually happened and isn't some bizarre dream. I mean, it feels real now, but I might try to dismiss it in the morning."

"I see. Hmm..." Dimentio nodded. He knew what to do. Using more of his magic, he made a rose appear out of thin air and handed it to Mr. L. "For you, my dear."

Mr. L grinned. "It's lovely, but...is it going to last until morning?"

"You're right. You need something more memorable to go along with it." Dimentio planted a kiss on his forehead. The man in green stared back at him, not even bothering to hide his blush. Dimentio laughed. " _Ciao,_ Mr. L."

With that, he disappeared. Mr. L sighed, then got in bed reluctantly. He buried his face in the pillow and let out another loud groan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to post this chapter a day early for shits and giggles. (Also because I love this chapter.)


	8. Pure Confusion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm gonna be honest; this isn't my favorite chapter so I put off posting it. But it's needed for the plot so here we go. TW: Homophobia

When Dimentio returned, the last thing he thought he would find was O'Chunks, waiting for him. But there was. He didn't look that happy either. "There ye are! What took yeh so long, lad!?"

Dimentio blinked. "Reporting to the Count, remember?"

O'Chunks narrowed his eyes. "Somethin' tells meh ye were pulling pranks on teh others...or somethin' akin to that. What were yeh _really_ up to?"

The jester sighed. Lying got draining after a while. "I thought I told you to trust me, O'Chunks. Come along."

Still eyeing him with suspicion, O'Chunks followed Dimentio. They stopped in one room to talk about how to move forward with the heroes. At one point, though, O'Chunks changed the subject. "Do yeh think...Nastasia'll be proud once I brin' teh heroes down?"

Dimentio raised an eyebrow. "Why do you seek Nastasia's approval?" As the jester saw it, O'Chunks was only devoted to one person and that was it. However, when he stared at the ground silently, Dimentio realized this wasn't true. The slight reddening of the Scotsman's cheeks only confirmed the truth. He nodded slowly. "Ah, I see. Well, I'm sure she will."

There was a moment of silence. "Dimentio?"

"Yes, my slow friend?"

O'Chunks ignored that insult. "What's going on bahtween ye and L?"

The magician frowned. He ignored the strange feeling he got when the warrior mentioned the man in green. "What makes you think anything is going on between us?"

"Ya've been awfully friendly with 'im lately. Come now. Just tell meh teh truth." He didn't sound like he was accusing anyone; he genuinely wanted to know what was going on.

"You shouldn't worry about petty drama. It makes you sound childish." That didn't satisfy O'Chunks. So, he added casually, "He's fallen in love with me."

The Scotsman gasped. _"What!?"_

"Yes, apparently he's a homosexual." Dimentio answered, as if talking about the weather.

"No, he's not! I know Mr. L!" O'Chunks spat.

The magician sighed. "Honestly, I'm not completely sure what he is either. Sexually speaking anyway. One minute, he says he would have sex with a woman if given the chance and the next he's so enthusiastic about trying men on. I think he's hopelessly confused. That's my theory. Mimi is only enabling him, of course. Said she's always wanted a gay best friend." For a moment, Dimentio felt ashamed. Not because he was talking about Mr. L in this way behind his back, but because Dimentio even flirted with him in the first place. How far was he willing to go?

O'Chunks was still in disbelief. "Yer making that up!"

The magician shrugged. "Am I? Am I not? Who can say at this point?"

Suddenly, the Scottsman glared. "Stop with all dis joker gobbledy-gash! I want yeh to be straight with me! Are _yeh_ a queer too!?"

"I don't know. I've always considered myself asexual. The intimacy, the closeness of it all. It's rather sickening to me. As for romanticism..."

"I SAID STOP! With all dis nonsense. I _don't_ work with queers and I know neither o' yeh would stoop te that level! Yer me chums! Yer better than that!"

Dimentio smiled. "Of course I wouldn't."

Part of what the magician said was true. He found the idea of being intimate with a woman repulsive. That was why many years ago, when an intelligent girl asked him to be hers forever, Dimentio turned her down. But he never even considered being with a man before Mr. L.

That apathetic, sneaky creature. Maybe Luigi was at least a bit humble. Not Mr. L. He thought he was on top of the world, better than anyone else. He even had the nerve to nickname Dimentio after some commoner magician. The jester wanted to see him just so he could smack him upside the head.

But of course, he didn't show any sign of anger on his face. He just grinned.

That was when the three heroes emerged from a pipe in the far end of the room. Dimentio leaned in to whisper to O'Chunks, "We'll talk about this later." Then he turned to the heroes. "Ah ha ha! So! At long last, you've come to play, like late-sleeping toddlers!"

"Dimentio..." Their butterfly Pixl murmured. Timpani. No, wait. She went by _Tippi_ these days. "And O'Chunks..."

O'Chunks pouted, not saying a word. Dimentio turned to their opposition. "Ah...Do you not tire of collecting those worn-out, tiresome Pure Hearts?" He said, making sure his voice was as smooth as butter. "I am not violent by nature, you know. I prefer to settle things peacefully, in fact. Say, for instance, you wished to go back to your world. I could do that for you."

Mario frowned. "Yeah, right! Like I would trust you!"

"We are NOT interested!" Tippi concurred.

Why was he not surprised? "Ah ha ha...So it must be...Shall we begin?" Suddenly, Dimension D replaced their surroundings. Dimentio had to fight to keep his smile. Summoning this dimension sucked the energy out of him. He felt light-headed all of a sudden.

"Ugh..." Tippi groaned. "Haven't you learned? No matter how often we fight, it will end the same."

"My, my, aren't you plucky? Same fight, same outcome. You are precisely correct." His eyes darted to O'Chunks. Well, he had to use this earlier than he thought, but he might as well. "And that is why..."

Suddenly, Dimentio snapped his fingers. A floro sprout materialized on O'Chunks' head. Quickly, their roots attached themselves to his brain. His willpower gone, O'Chunks became a mindless drone. Perfect. "BRO-CCOLI!"

Dimentio chuckled. "Lovely green hat, wouldn't you say?~"

"Huh!? Whoa, whoa, whoa," Bowser chimed in, making defensive hand gestures. "I don't fight veggies!"

Dimentio laughed at that comment. "Dear O'Chunks! So strong, yet so very dim! A child could learn his attack patterns! As such, I requested a few sprouts from my acquaintance to liven him up a touch. I call the boy, O'Cabbage!" He turned to O'Chunks. "Don't be shy, O'Cabbage! Introduce yourself!"

"CAB-BAGE!" O'Cabbage cried.

"Ah ha ha...Simply adorable. Now remember, kids: eat your vegetables to grow big! Except in this case, a veggie will eat YOU! Have fun now! _Ciao!"_ Once again, Dimentio made himself invisible. This time, he didn't feel amused by the show. Instead, he watched like it was an obligation.

"AS-PARA-GUS!" O'Cabbage shouted. He did a quick spin, headed right for Mario and Peach. The princess stepped back in fear. Mario got in front of her, but it was too late. O'Cabbage's fast spin knocked both heroes down.

Bowser sneered. "Nice one."

O'Cabbage quickly turned on him. He rushed to him, spun him around faster than usual, and let go. Bowser knocked into a wall, then slid onto the floor. "Ouch."

The brainwashed Scotsman's next move surprised everyone. O'Cabbage turned back to Peach, dragged her closer to him, and started kicking her. Even Dimentio gasped. Sure, O'Chunks was rough with men, but he always went softer on women. Apparently, the floro sprout didn't care about gender.

"PEACH!" Both men cried. O'Cabbage began to turn on Mario, but the hero flipped between dimensions, trying to buy some time.

The fight went on like this for a couple more minutes. Dimentio started to worry then. What if the prophecy was wrong? What if these weren't the heroes? Then everything would fall apart. But of course, at some point, Tippi reminded them that O'Cabbage had the same attack patterns and that alone seemed to turn the tide. (Well, Peach in pain certainly helped, as both heroes loved the princess in some way.) Everyone used Thoreau and plenty of stomps. Soon, the heroes won another battle.

O'Chunks crouched, feeling his energy fade. "Buh...Buh...BRO-CCOLI!" Dimension D fell apart. As O'Chunks grounded, the floro sprout fell out of his head. He quickly regained control of his body. "'Ey! What in gravy am I doin' in 'ere!?" He stood and brushed himself off. When he noticed Bowser, his eyes grew wide and he flinched slightly. "Huh? An' what are YOU doin' in 'ere as well?" Before any of the heroes could answer, O'Chunks spoke again. "Oh, I get the picture! You lot want teh challenge the new, improved O'Chunks! Yeh got pepper in your pants, I'll give yeh that! But this time, yeh WILL get ruined!"

Bowser groaned. "Not again..."

Luckily, they didn't have to fight once more. Just then, O'Chunks' belly growled. "Whuh-oh...Me belly's growlin' like a stravin' dog! Warrior rule number one: Never fight on an empty stomach! 'Tis madness!" He recited, just as he did a few days ago at the dining room table. "Sorry, but we've got teh call it a day! Can't go buckin' the warrior rules! Next time, though, yer DONE! Chunks away!" He saluted the enemy, then farted into the air.

Tippi flew forward, staring at the discarded sprout. "Look...The sprout on his head...It's the same as on the florified Cragnons. It looks as though it's nearly dead, however..." Bowser picked it up, observing it. "Well, what do you think? Would you care to try it on? I believe you'll be safe."

Bowser snarled. "Are you kidding? I'm no veggie!"

Mario sighed. "I can try it on." Bowser handed him the sprout. Dimentio watched closely. Mario put the sprout on and nothing happened. He was still in control of himself.

"You didn't turn into cabbage." Tippi muttered. "That's nice, I guess...this could come in handy."

With that, the heroes left together.

"Ah ha ha..." Dimentio became visible once more. "Mmm...If they could beat that model of O'Chunks, then they are coming along quite nicely! Perhaps they really are the ones I have waited for all this time." He gave another laugh, just to convince himself he was on the right track. "Ah ha ha! I should prepare myself as well! So much to do, so precious little time!"

With that, he went home. He brought O'Chunks with him to his room, but quickly regretted it. "Okay, we're alone now!" O'Chunks declared, not even bothering to show much surprise. "So, after I make myself a good meal, yer gonna tell me-"

Before he could get the full sentence out, Dimentio cast a sleeping spell. O'Chunks blinked a few times, then began to fall on his back. Before he hit the ground, however, Dimentio teleported him to his bedroom. The magician stretched and yawned, still smiling. "Well, better get to bed!" With that, he fell back on his bed and used a spell to put himself to sleep.

Yes, he could wait and fall asleep on his own. But he didn't want to tonight. He would be thinking too much. Feeling too much.

And that was never a good thing.

* * *

Mr. L woke up, blinking. He was relieved that he didn't have another awful dream. He sat up and got out of bed. He saw the rose in his room and smiled. It was still nice and fresh. It was floating around in its vase, which he got shortly after Dimentio left. He yawned and went downstairs to the kitchen. It was about 10 o'clock, a somewhat reasonable balance. He jumped when he saw the magician pouring coffee into a mug. "Dimentio!"

Dimentio looked up and grinned, putting the mug down on the counter. "Well, it looks like I surprised you again without even trying to."

The man in green inched closer to the coffee machine, where Dimentio stood. "When did you get back?"

"Last night."

The man in green looked around. "Is O'Chunks here?"

"Yes. I believe he's awake, but he's up in his room sulking. Sometimes, I forget that he was once a general. He seems so sensitive."

Mr. L blinked, but said nothing. He didn't know O'Chunks used to be a general. He'd have to ask about that later. "How did Nastasia take your insubordination?"

"It wasn't insubordination. That's too strong of a word. I believe it was more of a small instant of disobedience."

He smirked. "Well, either way, how did she take your _disobedience_?"

"She sent me to clean up the kitchen and make breakfast, but that was it."

Mr. L shrugged and got a mug from the cupboard. "Huh. I guess you were right about her letting you off the hook."

Dimentio nodded and floated up to him, touching his shoulder lightly. "So, what do you say we go on another outing?"

"Now?" He asked, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"Not right this second. Maybe later tonight."

Mr. L nodded. "Good. I can't right now. I should be getting to work on Brobot."

"You're always working," Dimentio said. "Why don't you take a break every once in awhile?" With that, he planted a kiss on his neck.

The man in green laughed and kissed him back. He didn't feel like asking for anything, so he chose not to mention it. "I can't afford to lounge around doing nothing. I want to help the Count in any way possible."

Dimentio's smile faltered. "Alright. How about I come and watch again? I'll try not to make too much of a disturbance."

Mr. L shrugged. "As long as you're not distracting me." He pressed some buttons on the coffee machine and watched the brown liquid spill into his drink. He didn't feel like adding much, so he just poured some milk in and left it at that. With that, he started to leave the room. Before he could, Dimentio grabbed his shoulder. Mr. L turned, having a look on his face that said, _What now?_

"Aren't you going to eat?" The magician asked.

The man in green sighed, then opened the fridge and took out an apple. He took a bite out of it and proceeded to go in the garage. After crossing the back and entering the garage code, Mr. L walked in the garage with Dimentio right behind him. He got out his tools and started working on his machine.

Dimentio watched silently, not bothering to crack a lot of jokes or poke fun at his new boyfriend. The metal scaffolding was complete along with its large yellow eyes. "You're making a lot of progress in such a short amount of time."

"Hey, I try," He muttered. Mr. L held out his hand. "Screwdriver, please." Dimentio handed him the screwdriver. The man in green thanked him and continued working. He was currently making a new nose for his machine, screwing some bolts into the new piece.

"So, if I may ask," Dimentio began. "Why do you insist on calling this machine your brother? Do mechanics feel this attached to their creations?"

Mr. L grinned. "I guess it is a bit strange to an outsider, huh?"

"Just a bit," The magician admitted.

The mechanic turned back to his machine, sighing. "Normally, mechanics are proud of their creations, like I am, but they don't attach themselves to them in the same way I do. I may not seem aware of it, but I am. I chose to do this." He took a deep breath before continuing. "You see, Mimi and I were talking one day and I was telling her that I wanted a way to stand out from everyone else. She suggested building a giant robot to crush the heroes. That was all I was doing at first."

"Then...ehen I had dreams of a little boy, who I now know is my real bro, I felt really lonely all of a sudden. It was the kind of loneliness that friends can't cure. So, I made up for it by calling my creation a robot brother. Hence, Brobot," He explained, gesturing to the metal scaffolding.

"That's actually quite tragic."

Mr. L shrugged. "Hey, it's no big deal. If I can't have my real bro with me right now, then at least I can have my metal one! Isn't that right, bro?" With that, he grabbed a remote laying on the table and pressed a large red button. Brobot's eyes twitched with light, but didn't do much else. Dimentio chuckled. Mr. L jerked towards the magician. "He's a work in progress! Leave him alone!"

Just then, Mimi walked into the garage. "Hey, guys."

"Hey, Arachne," Mr. L greeted.

Dimentio raised an eyebrow. "Where did you get that strange nickname from anyway?"

Mr. L glanced towards Dimentio. "Haven't you ever read the Greek classics?"

"Yeah! What he said!" Mimi chimed in. "Read his inter-dimensional stuff!"

The man in green turned back towards Mimi. "Anyway...how are you doing?"

"I'm alright. Did you hear that O'Chunks came back?"

The man in green nodded. "I figured. How's he doing?"

She frowned. "Not so good. Nassy's got a really strange punishment for him too."

"What is it?"

Mimi shrugged. "I don't know. Ask him yourself."

Mr. L nodded slowly. Mimi must have heard about it from the servants' chatter, not knowing much herself. He turned to Brobot. "I'll be right back, bro." He patted the metal scaffolding, then started to leave.

Mimi chuckled. Mr. L shot her a glare. She turned away, pretending to be innocent. The man in green rolled his eyes and left. As soon as Mr. L was gone, Mimi went back to chuckling. "He still insists on calling this thing his brother?"

"Apparently so," Dimentio replied.

Mimi laughed. "L's so weird."

Dimentio nodded. "Yes...yes he is."

* * *

Meanwhile, Mr. L went outside. He walked around the castle, keeping his eyes peeled for O'Chunks. He found him in the back of the castle, sulking. "Hey."

O'Chunks turned. Surprisingly, he scoffed at him and turned his back towards him. "What de yeh want?"

Mr. L sat down with O'Chunks. "I heard what happened. That's rough."

The Scotsman glared. "Rough!? The lass wants meh te write a song for teh Count and sing it _one thousand times!_ And right when I was 'bout teh confess too..."

The mechanic furrowed his brows. "Wait. If you're supposed to sing a song a thousand times, why aren't you singing right now?"

"Ugh...I'm still workin' on teh chorus."

"Maybe she doesn't return your feelings. You might want to start looking elsewhere."

"Don't say that 'bout Nastasia!" O'Chunks shouted. Quietly, he added, "There's still a chance..."

The man in green stood, walking further out. "Hmm. You look like you could use a pick-me-up. You know what I do when I'm upset?"

O'Chunks stared at him. "Build that metal contraption o' yours?" He asked flatly.

"No." After a few seconds, he quickly added, "Well, yes, but you know what else?"

"What?"

Mr. L turned one hand into a fist and slammed it into the other. "I kick some ass!" He patted O'Chunks on the back. "Come on! Let's do some sparing!"

O'Chunks groaned. "I'm _not_ in a sparin' mood."

"Come on! I heard you were once a proud general and now you're reduced to whining whenever you lose a battle?"

O'Chunks' eyes widened. "Who told yeh that?"

The mechanic smirked. "No one important."

O'Chunks frowned. "T'was Dimentio, wasn't it? I don't like yeh hanging around that lad...He's makin' yeh just as sneaky as 'im!"

"You've noticed us together?" Stiffly, the Scotsman nodded. Mr. L figured he must have known about their relationship by now. He shrugged. "Well, when two people spend some time together, they naturally influence one another."

The strongman huffed. "Well, anyway...yer not one teh talk! Yeh ranted and raved for two whole days after losin' te Maria!"

Mr. L rolled his eyes. "It's _Mario,_ O'Chunks. Not Maria. Anyway, the heroes are a rather sensitive subject for me, especially the red one."

"Why especially teh red one? That koopa's probably teh worst."

"Exactly! Get angry! Act like they're here!"

O'Chunks frowned. He didn't move from his spot. Mr. L cupped his hands around his mouth. "Hey, fat guy! Your beef and Brussels Sprout stew is the worst and you whine all the time! Whine, whine, whine~!"

O'Chunks glared. He stood, fists clenched. "Hey! Ye take back whatcha said about me mum's stew! 'Twas her recipe!"

Mr. L smirked. "Well, she obviously wasn't very good at cooking then."

O'Chunks growled. "Nobody talks 'bout me mum like that and gets away with it!" He launched towards Mr. L. The latter's smile grew. O'Chunks tried to land a punch, but Mr. L stepped back. The Scotsman tried again. The man in green dodged the punch, then leapt and jumped on O'Chunks' head twice.

The muscle man cried out and pouted, then suddenly smiled. "Yer usin' teh same moves as those heroes. Maybe yeh should be with 'em instead."

Mr. L frowned, genuinely offended. He clenched his fists. "Don't you dare compare me with those heroes! I am the Green Thunder!"

O'Chunks shrugged. "That don't seem teh mean much teh them."

"You wanna go, big guy?"

O'Chunks cracked his knuckles. "I thought that's what we were doin', yeh queer!"

Mr. L glared. _"What?"_ He asked, clenching his teeth.

Without any warning, O'Chunks grabbed Mr. L and threw him into the mud. As the man in green fell, mud splashed all over both of their clothes. O'Chunks laughed and started doing his victory dance, showing off his muscles. Mr. L narrowed his eyes and stood, punching him in the middle of the dance.

"What was that about calling me a _queer_ _?"_ The man in green asked, his face turning red.

The Scotsman smiled. "Dimentio told me everythin'! Yer so confused! Yer can't decide whatcha like! Yer so pathetic, lad!"

O'Chunks started to reach for him, but Mr. L sprung up and kicked him in the face. O'Chunks skidded back in the mud, then charged towards Mr. L. The man in green used his super jump, thinking he was safe. Instead, the Scotsman grabbed one of his legs and slammed him into the ground.

Just then, Mr. L felt something running through his hands. They both twitched, releasing intense shocks of pain every few seconds. "Ah..." He squeezed both hands. "What is this?" He muttered.

"Give up yet?" O'Chunks asked.

Mr. L stood and tried to ignore the pain in his hands. He hid his discomfort with a smirk. "Are you kidding!? We're just getting started!"

The two continued fighting without holding back. In the end, however, they both ran out of energy quickly. Before Mr. L knew it, he was laying on the grass. His clothes were covered in sweat and mud. He panted hard.

O'Chunks laid in a puddle of mud a few feet away. The filth covered his arms and kilt. "Ugh. I am pure done in! Yeh may have a bigger mouth than the others, but ya can put up a fight."

Mr. L smiled. "You're not so bad yourself."

The Scotsman stood and offered a hand. The man in green took it and stood up. The men panted.

O'Chunks looked up at him. "Yeh didn't mean what ya said back there, did ya? About us bein' juniors?"

Mr. L laughed. "You guys are still thinking about that? Well, if I'm being honest, Mimi was right. I _did_ get pretty spanked. That hero is tough, but not invincible. We've just got to try harder!"

"And so your failures fill you with determination, like a game that won't come out in at least eight years."

They both jumped. Dimentio hovered right in front of them. Mr. L frowned. "What are you talking about, Dimentio?"

The jester grinned. "Oh, nothing. Lunch is ready."

O'Chunks smiled. "Now yer speakin' meh language!" The warrior headed inside without much hesitation.

Mr. L started to follow, but Dimentio grabbed his arm. He turned, irritated. "What?"

"Is the rose still nice and unwilted?" The man in green nodded slowly. What did Dimentio tell O'Chunks about their relationship? Did he feed him this information or was the Scotsman making his own assumptions? However, Dimentio simply grinned and let go of his arm. "Good."

That was all that he had to say on the matter. The two started heading off to lunch like nothing was different between them. Well, there was one difference: Dimentio offered his hand and Mr. L took it without much thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this because when I was younger, I realized that there are a lot of people in the world who don't approve of what I am: an LGBT individual. But screw them. I'm fine as I am. (And so are you, any wonderful LGBT readers out there!) Next chapter: More gay.


	9. A Sky Full of Stars

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: A little bit of political talk, but mostly physical abuse mention near the end. (No abuse scenes, just a mention.)

_In a small apartment, a middle-aged man sat on the couch and played the guitar for his boys. The boys were both about five years old. The man had brown wavy hair and matching eyes. He wore a yellow sweater vest and long brown pants. He sang a tune in Italian, both boys singing along happily. This man was none other than Marco Mario, a plumber and loving father._

_"Why are you singing that song again?" A voice asked. Both boys turned to see their mother, standing with her hands on her hips. She wore her long, brown hair in a messy ponytail. She still wore her red waitress uniform and nice black shoes. This was Lillian, a sweet, but often exhausted woman, as well as Marco's wife._

_Marco stood, surprised. "Lily!"_

_"The boys should be in bed!" Lillian said firmly._

_The man relaxed and smiled. "_ _Oh come now. It's just a song."_

_Lillian wasn't satisfied. She turned to her children and asked, "_ _Boys, what's a fascist?"_

_The twins looked at each other. The older twin spat, "_ _Someone reawwy bad!"_

_His brother nodded. "_ _They need to go to jail! Or be pubwicwy executed. Wike Mussowini!"_

_Their mother's jaw dropped. After recovering, she jerked towards Marco. "What have you been telling them?"_

_Marco set his guitar down gently. "I left out the gruesome details. Relax, Lillian. It's history! Sooner or later, they're going to be teaching the boys about the Holocaust in school."_

_The boy in green felt his eyes grow wide. Tearing up, he muttered, "_ _Howocaust?"_

_Lillian glanced at her youngest son in sympathy and lifted him into her arms. "You're frightening them, Marco! I understand. Your family used to be anti-fascist during the War. But this is America!"_

_Marco groaned. "Oh, you sound just like your father. America this. America that. Keep raising them like that and they'll grow up to be blind nationalists, waving the flag around without knowing what it means! Just like how it was in Italy."_

_The boy in green glanced at his brother. The boy in red stared back at him. Apparently, a nationalist was someone very bad too. "_ _I wanna go to bed!" The older boy shouted._

_Lillian shot a glare at Marco, then turned back to her son. "Of course. I'll read you both a story. How does that sound?"_

_The boy in green sniffled. "Can you sing the song again first?"_

_Now she was cornered. Lillian looked at her husband. His face said, I told you so._ _Innocently, Marco explained, "_ _I was only singing them this song because they had trouble sleeping."_

_The American sighed, then began to sing. To the boys' amazement, she sang the song in her own native tongue. The twins exchanged surprised, yet happy looks. Marco smiled, then started to play to his wife's beat. That night, before bed, the whole family sang Marco's song._

* * *

The voices were still in his head when Mr. L opened his eyes that morning. He glanced at his window. It was a typical lovely scene. The sun was rising outside, painting the sky a dazzling dark blue. Birds were chirping outside. A calm breeze came by.

Mr. L smiled. "Fascists, huh? What a lovely question to ask your boys, Lillian." With that, he stood and stretched. He went to his closet and changed clothes before walking downstairs. He braced himself for Dimentio at the bottom of the stairs. Either that, or a jump-scare of some sort. Instead, no one appeared to be awake. He was the first one up, a rare occasion.

Shrugging, Mr. L went to the kitchen and opened the fridge. He got out eggs, slices of ham, cheese, and red peppers. Slowly, he began to cut the ham and peppers, singing his father's song. Next, he started making an omelet, still singing. He didn't stick to his father's native tongue nor his mother's. Instead, he switched between languages whenever he felt like it. " _Questa mattina, mi son svegliata..._ To find the fascists all a-round.~"

That was when he had a sudden, strange feeling. The man in green sighed. Then he smiled and turned to his left. "Want some breakfast too, Dimentio?"

At that moment, Dimentio turned visible. "How did you know!?" He cried.

Mr. L shrugged. "Lucky guess."

"I was going to surprise you again!"

"Too bad," He said bluntly, then returned to making breakfast. He flipped the omelet and heard the instant sizzling.

The magician regarded him with suspicion. "What's that song you were singing?"

" _Bella Ciao._ Written around the time of the War."

Dimentio tilted his head. "What war?"

Mr. L laughed. He didn't know much about the War either. However, two things came to mind: America was in the right and Italy switched sides at one point. "Don't worry about it."

The jester hesitated. "Would you mind singing it to me?"

The man in green shrugged. "Why not? Italian or English? I was singing in Italish just now."

"Both."

Mr. L grinned and began singing the tune in Italian. Dimentio watched him with curiosity. He recognized a lot of the language, but he realized that he wasn't completely fluent yet. Mr. L surprised the jester for the second time that morning when the song ended. Nonchalantly, he asked, "How do you like your eggs?" His American accent never sounded so out of place.

"Overeasy."

He frowned. "Ugh. Great. I suck at overeasy eggs."

Dimentio laughed. He only heard Mr. L doubt himself a few times. He wished he would do it more, not because he liked seeing him doubt himself, but because he appeared more human that way. Natural. Not so narcissistic. _Maybe he'll be more like this when I've disposed of that no-good Count._ The jester appeared by his side. "I'll take care of it. You just keep singing your heart out. English, please."

Mr. L rolled his eyes, crossing his arms. "What am I, your jukebox?"

"Please? I'll tell you more about your past."

"Ugh...Fine." He sang the song again, but in his mother's tongue. He also felt the need to pick up the pace slightly, just as she did that magical evening. He went to the coffee machine and made a cup of coffee, pretending Dimentio wasn't in the room.

When he was done, Dimentio commented, "That's a lovely tune. You're a fine singer as well."

Mr. L grinned. "Marco and Lillian used to sing it to me and my brother. It reminds me of where I came from."

Dimentio furrowed his brows. "Why do you call them by their first names? They're your parents."

He shrugged. "I don't know. It just feels right." With that, he set his plate on the dining room table. He grabbed his coffee along with some silverware and began to eat. "So, what interesting fact can you tell me about my past now?" Mr. L asked, only half-sarcastic.

Soon, the magician turned off the burner on the stove. He grabbed a plate and titled the pan, letting the eggs slide onto it. He floated over to Mr. L's side and placed his plate on the table. "Fun fact: You worked as a carpenter for a time. Then a plumber somewhere along the way!"

Mr. L rolled his eyes. "Fun. I've always dreamed of cleaning toilets."

"I didn't say your sole purpose was to clean toilets. You had your fair share of hero work."

Hero work. For some reason, Mr. L immediately thought of Luigi. Mario's younger brother. He shoved that thought aside. "What did I do, help old ladies across the street? Come on. Why don't you ever tell me anything about _your_ past?"

There was an awkward silence. Dimentio frowned, sat down, and started to eat. Mr. L waited for a response, but only received silence. "Come on, Mr. Houdini. Got anything?"

The jester turned with narrowed eyes. In a serious tone, he said, "I don't like that nickname."

Mr. L's eyes widened, taken back. "Sorry?"

"Our deal is only about _your_ past, not mine. And we can break it off anytime you want."

Mr. L smirked. "Ah. Well, you're getting something out of this too. Otherwise, you wouldn't have made me your first unofficial boyfriend. Am I right?" Dimentio froze. That only made Mr. L more amused. "Do guys turn you on? Do you look at porn or anything like that?"

The jester frowned. "Watch it, L."

"I'm just asking. One can't help but ask the questions, you know?"

"Can I eat? Then you can ask all the questions you want."

Mr. L sighed. Dimentio wasn't planning on backing down. "Fine. I'm gonna get some more sugar." He grabbed his mug and prepared to do just that.

"Am I interrupting somethin'?" A masculine, accented voice asked.

The man in green turned and noticed O'Chunks, wearing a frown. Mr. L rolled his eyes. He hoped that the derogatory speech from yesterday afternoon was only to rile him up for sparring. Apparently not. The Scotsman hadn't talked to him much at lunch or dinner. Oh well. Good riddance.

The mechanic grabbed the sugar. He turned the small shaker over to make sure it wasn't salt, then sprinkled it in his coffee. "Oh, hey...Mr. All-brawn-and-no-brain." O'Chunks scoffed at him. There was a moment of tense silence.

Dimentio broke it. "Ah! O'Chunks! How's that song coming along?"

Suddenly, Mr. L couldn't stay angry. He burst out laughing. Both men started laughing their heads off. "SHUT IT!" O'Chunks yelled. Both men went silent. O'Chunks grabbed a can of beer from the fridge, then wandered off, muttering under his breath. O'Chunks headed down the hallway next to the living area. Probably towards the private workout room.

Mr. L and Dimentio turned to each other. They went back to laughing.

"Watch that song be a train wreck!" Mr. L laughed.

Dimentio smiled. "I can see it already!"

They kept laughing until a certain assistant cleared her throat. She gave them both a disapproving look.

* * *

Claiming the fifth Pure Heart had been strange, to say the least. All heroes defeated King Crocus with the help of Thoreau. The king's defense involved changing into a rose-like creature, face covered and all. However, using the right techniques, they defeated him easily.

Of course, at the last minute, the Floro Sapiens explained their plight: the Cragnons had been polluting their water and King Crocus went insane. As if aware the whole time, a film crew of three Cragnons burst into the room. "CRAGLEY HO!" The director exclaimed. "Emergency special report from the floro front lines! Environmental pollution drives Floro Sapeins mad! Whither will they rampage?"

After that, the Floro Sapeins agreed to stop kidnapping the Cragnons. In return, the Cragnons had to stop polluting the river. It was a happy ending to a rather twisted and tragic tale. Mario felt glad for them, but this wasn't his world, so it was a detached kind of joy.

When they returned to Flipside, however, they all noticed Tippi had been acting a bit detached as well. "Tippi?" Peach said. No response. Tippi looked around, confused, but she didn't seem to notice any of the heroes. "Tippi!" Peach tried again.

Suddenly, Tippi turned to Peach. "Wha?"

"What's the matter, Tippi? You seemed a little out of it there..."

"Well..." The Pixl began. "Didn't you just hear something?" Everyone traded glances, then shook their heads. "No? Alright then. It's just that...For a second, I thought I had remembered something very important."

They took the elevator down to the second floor of Flipside. The group began to head towards Merlon's house. After a moment of hesitation, Mario spoke up. "Hey, everybody?" The others turned to him. The man in red sighed. "Honestly...I'm starting to feel a bit tired."

"Oh come on!" It's only the afternoon!" Bowser jeered, then paused. "I think. It's hard to tell time around here. Things look the same a lot of the time."

"That's because we're only here during the mornings and afternoons," Tippi informed. "It is starting to get late, however..."

Bowser groaned. "Ugh. Fine. We can make a pit-stop, but only for supplies and everything! But if we wake up and the world ends, I'm blaming you."

Mario became silent once again. For once, he let Bowser lead them around the city, gathering supplies. They let Saffron, the nice chef on the lower floor, mix their supplies up to turn them into an improved dish. After handing Bowser a Snow Cone, Saffron said, "Don't eat it, sugar. It's meant for any foes you come across the way." Glancing towards Mario, she muttered, "Although...you have a Fire Burst? You look like you could use some Spicy Soup, hon."

The others turned to Mario, as if noticing his plight for the first time. Mario stuck a hand in each of his pockets, then shook his head. "No Fire Burst. But thanks anyway, Saffron."

After checking into a nice Flipsider's inn, the three heroes prepared for bed. Mario agreed to share a room with Peach, much to Bowser's dismay. When they turned the lights off, Mario had trouble falling asleep. His thoughts always wandered to his endless amount of responsibilities. How had it come to this? It felt like only yesterday when he was just a humble plumber who helped save his girlfriend's life from a crazy ape.

 _"You can do anything you set your mind to, Mario. You're amazing!"_ Pauline once told him when he expressed some of his doubts to her. But could he really save all worlds? He was just one man.

"Mario?"

He flipped over. "Yeah, Peach?"

"Ignore what Bowser said back there. There's nothing wrong with taking a break if you need it."

Mario sighed. "Yeah...I know. But I can't help but wonder...what if he's right? The world is getting closer to its end and here I am, taking a nap. Some hero, huh?"

The princess frowned. "Even heroes need time to rest."

"But I can't! Everybody's lives are at stake! Luigi..." Mario sighed. "I don't even know what's happening with him. It's been so long. What if he's already dead?"

"Don't talk like that!" Peach cried. Lowering her voice, she added, "He could be alive still."

Mario rolled his eyes. "Yeah right. If he's alive, he's probably being held captive. Or he's already brainwashed."

Another tense silence. Mr. L came up again. Why did he look so much like Luigi? He also spoke with an American accent, but Mario could've sworn he heard a faint nasal sound. Almost as if he was from Brooklyn too...

It couldn't be possible. Unless...

Mario flipped over and sighed. "Go to bed, Peach. Please."

"But-"

Just then, the door opened a crack. Both heroes could make out the silhouette of a large koopa king. Mario sighed and waited. He prepared himself to be told the last thing he wanted to hear right now. _Shut up, Red. Nobody cares about you or your stupid brother! When Peach is Queen of the Darklands, she won't have to deal with this anymore!_

Instead, the exact opposite happened. Softly, Bowser said, "You _both_ need to get to bed. We can't save the green guy-and our Kingdoms- if we're too tired to stay standing..."

Mario and Peach looked to each other, surprised. They nodded. Mario whispered, "Thanks, Bowser."

"Don't mention it. See you in the morning," He almost shut the door before yanking it back open. "And remember. What I said just now? In this inn? It _stays_ in this inn." Then he shut the door. It was much easier to fall asleep after that.

* * *

The next week had been blissful and surprisingly easy. Count Bleck announced he had been studying the prophecy and he couldn't see any signs that they needed to act soon. As a result, they were all given a week to do whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted. At first, Mr. L found this a bit suspicious, but his intuition instantly kicked in. _You're thinking too much. Think of the Count. Everything you do is for the Count._ (It was a bit strange, considering his intuition sounded a lot like Nastasia this time...)

So, Mr. L found it wise to just do what the Count said and the rest would fall into place. The next few days were fun since he could just do whatever he wanted with his friends, but they were also confusing. Without the threat of the heroes looming over them, Mr. L had another problem to deal with: his relationship with Dimentio was changing. He loved his smooth voice, the various similes he thought of, and the poems he wrote him on occasion. However, he loved his touch the most. His embraces made him feel warm. Sometimes, they slept in the same bed together, and the man in green felt safe. However, the kissing was easily the most fun and exciting.

As a result, Mr. L had been talking about Dimentio to anyone who would listen and the others quickly began to get tired of this talk. Count Bleck was too polite to say anything, though there was a sorrowful look in his eyes at times, almost like pain but not quite. Nastasia listened patiently at first, but after hearing about Dimentio several times, she would change the subject whenever he started to mention the jester's name. O'Chunks had stopped taunting him about his sexual orientation overtime, but whenever he started to say something, Mr. L would be the one to change the subject; he didn't want to hear any insults.

Even Mimi, the hopeless romantic, started to get sick of this. "Hey, um...L? I get that you and Dimmy are dating now, but can we _puh-lease_ talk about something else?"

However, despite all of this, Mr. L was in denial. It was all so he could know more about his past. That was it. Then he would think back to the warmth he felt whenever he was with him. His cheeks would grow hot, his heart would race, and he would daydream again. He would get a strange feeling inside and he wanted to just _be with him_...

No. He definitely did not feel that way towards him.

And then there was one night when the man in green couldn't deny it anymore.

Mr. L and Dimentio were together again in Dimension D. The magician smiled, stroking his cheek. "Where to, my love?"

The mechanic tried to keep a straight face, but he blushed anyway. "H-How about a sky full of stars? I-I mean, it's raining now, so we can't go anywhere in the real world, so…"

The jester nodded. "A sky full of stars it is!" With that, he raised his arms and the dimension changed to fit the appearance of what the man in green described.

A beautiful night sky above them, stars sparkling like diamonds. A wide, open field. A gentle breeze passing them by. The wind was a bit cold at times, but Mr. L didn't mind. Dimentio was back in that human-like form again, the one that he showed when they went dancing together. He was wearing a purple sweater this time. That was fine too.

The two laid in the grass. After some small talk, Mr. L remembered the bottle of wine he bought that day, not for myself, but for an occasion like this one. "So, you know Tristan? That cashier guy? Well, the other day, I got a bottle of wine from him, BUT it took a lot of persuasion for Mimi to-"

"Really! How enthralling!" Dimentio interrupted, voice dripping with sarcasm.

Mr. L furrowed his brows. "What?" He asked, confused.

"Oh, nothing. Tell me more about how _handsome_ he is and all of the flirting that you inevitably did with him. I'd _love_ to hear it, L."

The man in green frowned. When he first came to Castle Bleck, Mr. L saw Dimentio as an enigma. The jester seemed to be happy in general, always smiling and messing with others. Now, he was beginning to see that he was more than just someone who felt endless joy. He had moments of anger, sadness, and even jealousy. Still, it was a bit jarring to see these changes happen so fast. "Dim, I barely know him. Besides, he's straight."

"I bet you would be all over him if he wasn't," Dimentio said, turning to look at the stars.

Mr. L sighed. "Well, even if we _were_ somehow together, that relationship wouldn't last long. I'm a servant of the Count. He's an outsider."

"Hmm…" Dimentio murmured. Still not convinced.

The man in green sighed. "He's not you."

Dimentio was silent for a moment. Then he flipped over onto his side, leaning on the weight of his elbow. "Alright...what's my favorite color?"

Mr. L was taken back. "What?"

"You said it yourself. You barely know him. So, let's see if you know me. Favorite color?"

The mechanic sighed again. "Purple. Yellow is a close second."

"Favorite flower?"

"Roses."

The jester grinned. "Alright, I've been going easy on you. Now, tell me this, L...there are thousands of Castle Bleck residents. Which resident irritates me the most?"

Mr. L flipped onto his back, looking at the stars. "Oh, that's a tough one." He thought hard about it before turning back to his boyfriend. "Nastasia."

Dimentio grinned. "And why do you think it's her?"

"I don't know...I remember you mentioned that when you first came here, she had you write a thousand essays to prove your worth. She did the same to me too, you know."

The magician laughed. "That is true."

Mr. L grinned. "So, tell me, Dim...was I right?"

Dimentio had a blank expression for a moment before his usual smile came back. "Very close. She is my second least favorite."

"Well, then who's your least favorite?"

His smile faded and he turned away. "N-No one important...just a Koopa who owes me money, that's all…"

The man in green sighed. He knew that Dimentio was lying, but he didn't feel like pressing him. He decided to change the subject. "So...what do you want when all worlds end?"

Again, Dimentio thought about it. Finally, he replied, "I want my own castle, a safe place for everyone who has ever been broken down or beaten. No fear, sadness, or heartache. Only happiness."

Mr. L frowned. Whenever he talked with the others about the New World, it was always happy thoughts. However, a wave of sorrow overcame him as a painful realization occurred to him for the first time. He looked back to the stars. "That...sounds nice, Dim."

The other man turned. "L?"

The mechanic frowned, still watching the sky. "Dimentio, what's gonna happen to us when we live in the New World? Are we still gonna talk to each other?"

"Of course we will," Dimentio said. His tone was soft and kind.

"B-But...my family. Your dreams." He leaned back on his side. "W-Will we even be a part of each other's worlds anymore?"

Dimentio looked at him intently. Finally, he took both of the mechanic's hands and placed a kiss on each one. He rubbed them softly with his gloved hands. "Yes. We will. I promise."

Mr. L smiled. "D-Do you mind taking off the mask, Dim? I just realized that I've never seen you without it…"

Dimentio was silent before patting his hands. "All good things to those who wait, my love." He stroked his cheek before learning forward and kissing him again. His lips were so soft and warm. This time, Mr. L returned the favor, leaning forward. Deeper into the kiss. No need to ask for any information. He already had everything he needed. He knew enough.

Then, at some point, Mr. L had kissed Dimentio so hard that they lost control and toppled onto the grass. They laughed and there was a nervous pause. The man in green was now on top of his boyfriend. Dimentio stared back at him with alarm in his eyes. The mechanic knew that if he didn't have that mask on, he would be able to see him blushing _and badly._

The man in green smiled. He stroked Dimentio's masked cheek and ran a hand through the right side of his hair, the jet black side. It was so soft, just like his kisses. Mr. L smiled and leaned down, continuing the kiss. Soft, warm lips.

That night, Mr. L couldn't deny it anymore. He was falling in love.

* * *

The man in green was reading a book, thinking of the night before again and again. He tried to keep a neutral face, but he couldn't help but smile. He couldn't wait until he got to see Dimentio again.

"Man in green, the Count requires your presence," A voice said.

Mr. L looked up and noticed a Koopatrol there, waiting for him. He nodded, set his book down, and followed. In the hallway, he ran into Dimentio as well. The man in green leaned over to whisper to him. "What do you think the Count wants?" Dimentio replied that he could not say, which either meant he did not know or could not say it. The mechanic had a feeling it was the former.

When they both arrived, Count Bleck stared at them with a critical look. Nastasia was by his side, of course. Mr. L had the impression early on that she was his sole confidante. But she didn't speak, so to him, it looked like she was more of a submissive secretary.

"Let me guess. We're in trouble?" The magician asked.

"Not quite," Count Bleck replied calmly.

"Then what did we do?" Mr. L asked.

"I hear you two have established a romantic relationship."

His eyes widened. Mr. L sat up straighter and asked, "Who told you!?"

Count Bleck glanced at Nastasia. She answered, "Mimi. O'Chunks. Some goombas and koopas. A few Magikoopas."

The man in green slumped back in his chair. "Oh. So everyone basically."

"Pretty much." Nastasia gave a rare smile. "Did you really think you could tell Mimi something and not have it spread around?"

Mr. L sighed. "Is that all? I wasn't aware that was against the rules around here." Silence. The man in green looked at Dimentio, who seemed strangely stiff. Nastasia was back to frowning, as if a smile was never there. Count Bleck frowned. The mechanic sighed. "Sorry. I was just worried. For a second, I thought you were going to-"

"No, I'm not banishing either of you. I don't care if you are both men."

Dimentio seemed thrown off. "Really now?"

"I only care about how you two treat each other," The Count answered.

Mr. L blinked, now confused. "Of course. I understand that, but we're-"

Just then, Dimentio burst out laughing. "Oh, Count! Of course we'll treat each other well! Won't we all? This time next year, we'll be living in a paradise of your own design!"

The Count narrowed his eyes. "Yes, but-"

"But what? You're worrying too much!"

The jester kept laughing until Mr. L kicked him from under the table. "Dimentio, would you quit? Just listen for once!"

The magician smiled. He stopped laughing, but he patted Mr. L on the back. "Oh, L. You're so cute!" He turned to Count Bleck. "But honestly. What were you wanting to accomplish with this? We're dating now. Of course we'll treat one another well!"

"Dimentio, please!" Nastasia said, raising her voice. "One would think you'd learn how to talk to your superior by now."

Count Bleck placed his hand on Nastasia's shoulder. She looked to him with confusion. Staring directly at Dimentio, the Count spoke in a clear and concise voice. No one could've missed his words. "I'm sure my father thought the same thing when he married my mother."

Dead silence. No one was laughing now. Dimentio stopped smiling real quick. His face became neutral, neither freezing nor burning hot. Mr. L asked softly, "What happened, Count?"

"He beat her," Count Bleck replied. "Of course, when times were good, they were very good. But the marriage was still arranged. Mother tried to deal with him the best she could and I got along fine. I only became the target of his physical abuse when I made a serious mistake. Then again, he made me feel as if I was nothing a lot of the time. Maybe that was why I tried so hard back then." He let out a long, tired sigh. "After that...Mother got older and didn't interfere much with my father, even when she knew something was wrong. She had her own way of trying to get through to him, but he seldom listened. And then..." He trailed off.

Mr. L was in absolute shock. He turned to Dimentio, but the jester was quiet for once. He glanced at Nastasia. She stared into space, a glassy look in her crimson eyes. He turned back to the Count. "I'm sorry that happened to you. I would never beat my spouse, even if it was arranged!"

Count Bleck grinned. "Thank you, Mr. L, but your words can't bring me back the girl I lost."

"What happened to her?"

"That is a long story. I'll just say that I lost her and I will never see her again. I see traces of her in a lot of things, but everyone has to wake up eventually. Accept reality, no matter how much we don't want to."

Beside him, Nastasia added, "But we can still change what we do with this information."

Count Bleck closed his eyes, letting out a dreary sigh. "Just take care of each other, both of you. And protect one another with your very lives. The heroes are a troublesome threat right now. I can't say if either of you will lose your lives. I certainly hope you won't, but..." He trailed off again. He turned to Dimentio and looked him in the eye. "Dimentio. Mr. L is in greater danger, as both prophecies specifically cite him as the one who will decide how this goes, for better or for worse. Please...keep him safe."

The magician replied, "I'll do what I can."

Count Bleck turned to his more loyal minion. "And Mr. L?"

The man in green asked, "Yes, sir?"

For just a moment, Count Bleck hesitated. Slowly and evenly, he said, "Do not forget where your allegiance lies. I've noticed your self-doubt as of late. You need to stop that. It's time to decide: are you my servant or not? If so, then put this behavior behind you. Work as hard as you're able. You must remember who was there for you in all of your months of pain and confusion."

That stung. The Count was so understanding when Mr. L last showed any trace of doubt in front of him. Still, he was probably right. The mechanic nodded. "Yes, sir."

Count Bleck smiled. "I may give you a chance to get back out there. Don't you fret." To the both of them, he said, "You're dismissed. I'll see you in the next meeting."

Both Mr. L and Dimentio stood and left the room. As the magician floated away away, Mr. L walked out slower. Nastasia went to the door and shut it behind him. The man in green turned back to listen. After a few seconds, Nastasia said, "Count...you didn't have to tell them that much."

"Oh, Nastasia..." He muttered sadly. "I had to. I couldn't bare the thought of looming over them like my father did to Timpani and me...but I can't let them make the same mistakes I did."

Timpani. What a lovely name.

Mr. L closed his eyes and sighed. He felt awful for the Count, but there was nothing he could do about his lonely past. The only way he could make up for it was to work as hard as he could. Looking up ahead at Dimentio, he thought, _"And I'll keep you safe. That's my promise." _That was his last thought before he caught up with his love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since chapters 1-16 are already on Fanfiction, I'll probably update the fic on here every two weeks for my Discord friends. For anyone new to this story, I hope you have a fun time reading.


End file.
